Perchance to Dream
by Leebot
Summary: Shiznat, lemon. Direct sequel to What Dreams May Come, exploring Shizuru and Natsuki's developing relationship.
1. Within Her, Without Her

**Disclaimer:** I own neither Mai-HiME, nor any of the characters in this fic. To be honest, that's probably a good thing, as if I did, it would have taken place in Canada, and I'll leave it to your imaginations what Shizuru's accent would have been then.

**Author's Note: **And I'm back! New story starting up here, but it's a direct continuation of What Dreams May Come. If you haven't read that one yet, you're likely going to be very lost. You've been warned. As for the titles of the fics… what can I say? Shakespeare is quite quotable. The themes of the stories don't exactly fit with the context of the quotes, but the essence of the quotes themselves works well enough.

Unlike the last story, there isn't a single solid arc I'm planning out here. This one is mostly just about Shizuru and Natsuki's developing relationship, and whatever happens along the way with them. I do have some ideas for arcs within this story, and I bet you can guess the first one. As anyone who's read the previous story knows, there's one very important event coming up for Natsuki, so I'll try not to keep you in suspense _too_ long.

I'm starting the rating of this fic off at M, though there's nothing explicit in this chapter. There will be soon enough, though, so there's no point in keeping it lower until then, especially since I'm expecting you've read through the explicit scene in the last story before now. Anyways, enough noting, and on with the fic!

* * *

**Title:** Perchance to Dream 

**Rating:** M

**Chapter 1:** Within Her, Without Her

* * *

_Hey there, I guess. This is my first time keeping a journal, so I don't really know how it all normally goes. Gah, I kind of feel like I'm talking to myself here; I need to try something else. Okay, how about this? I'll just pretend I'm saying this all to Shizuru. She's probably going to end up finding this and reading it at some point anyways, no matter how well I try to hide it, so it makes some sort of sense._

_Alright, then. Shizuru! Shame on you for reading my journal without my permission! I demand you put this away and submit yourself to me for "punishment" immediately. What are you doing still reading this? You couldn't be afraid of what I might do to you, could you? You do realize I put "punishment" in quotes up there, right? That means that since I was expecting you to do this, you're acting just like the Fujino Shizuru I've grown to love, and I feel like showing my love to you. Aha, there we go, that got you._

_I really do love you, Shizuru. It feels so good to finally be able to say that. And what we did last night, too, I have to say that I enjoyed that a lot as well. I liked seeing the great Fujino Shizuru with all her barriers broken down and surrendering herself completely to me. I liked having you completely at my mercy, responding to my every touch. And I loved bringing you to the heights of pleasure. I'd really like to do that again sometime, and I'm not sure I can wait until Friday. I guess I don't really have to, though. After all, Friday is just when you were going to return the favor for me. Nothing says I can't give you another favor in the meantime._

_I wish you were here right now, Shizuru. I'm bored out of my mind, to be honest. That's why I started writing this in the first place; it's something to do to pass the time. Heh, interesting how quickly my thoughts drifted back to you. I really am in love, aren't I? Thank you so much, Shizuru, for letting me feel this. I wish I could just spend the rest of the day doing nothing but being in love. Maybe if you were around, I could. Why did you have to leave again? It seems like we both took it for granted that you'd have to go home at some point today, though I'm having my doubts._

_Okay, now I'm scaring myself. We've been a couple for less than one day, and I'm already thinking about us moving in together. Let's worry about that later, okay? For now, let's just spend as much time together as we can. I'll call you up as soon as I get home from school tomorrow, and maybe we can do something then. I guess, maybe like a date or something… Wait a second, did I just have sex for my first time before my first date? Er, kinda. Half of sex, I guess… Okay, we're definitely going on a date before we do this again!_

_And now I'm all nervous about our first date. Damn it, why do I keep doing this to myself? And when you're not around to enjoy my frustration and blushes at that? Maybe I'm just mentally compensating for the lack of you being here doing that to me. Wait, that's worse, it means I actually like it when you do that to me… Okay, now I'm hoping you really don't find this, or you __will__ be punished. Stop laughing at that!_

_Okay, I'm going to stop writing now before I say anything even more embarrassing. I'll surf the internet for the rest of the evening or something._

* * *

_Why does this keep happening to me? Is there some great cosmic law that Natsuki must get tied up at least once a month?_

Natsuki tried to count the times this had happened to her as she waited for her captor to make an appearance and explain this one. First, there was the lingerie-stealing Orphan, which had already embarrassed her more than enough, though fortunately it didn't take long for her to be freed from its grasp.

After that, it was two separate occasions by Nao, the first to lure out Mai, the second Shizuru. She'd been stuck there a lot longer than those times, and the fact that she'd just learned of her mother's betrayal of her and couldn't summon Duran just made things worse. She was practically catatonic by the time Shizuru had freed her both of those times.

How ironic then that her next experience with bondage was at Shizuru's own hands. When the chain of Shizuru's Element had broken through the bell that had fallen on her, it had constricted painfully around her. The shocking reminder of her previous experiences had left her stunned, even when Shizuru had released her and pulled her into an embrace.

She'd regained her senses in that hug, though. It was odd; she'd realized recently that she really enjoyed hugs, after all she'd recently shared with Shizuru. And yet being bound like this was quite a different matter, even though there was a similarity in the physical sensations. What was the difference, then? Was it the human contact in the hugs that made the difference? No, she'd never cared about that. Unless… it had been Shizuru every time recently, so maybe it was the contact with her.

As if on cue, Shizuru walked through the door to Natsuki's room at this moment. Seeing Natsuki tied down to her bed, Shizuru paused and raised an eyebrow. "Ara ara, what has Natsuki gotten herself into now?"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki said. Her arms instinctively tried to move out towards the girl, but the restraints on her wrists held them back. "I don't know, I just woke up, and I was tied down to my bed. Could you just untie me please, Shizuru?"

"Ara, now why would I want to do that?" Shizuru said. As she approached Natsuki, she was able to catch a devious glint in her eyes. She reached Natsuki's bed and bent over it, placing one hand on each side of her head as she moved her face down to mere inches away from Natsuki's. "I finally have Natsuki right where I want her."

"Heh, not funny, Shizuru. Now please get me out, okay?" Natsuki begged. She was desperately hoping this was all just a joke on the other girl's part. If it was, she was quite willing to beg her way out of it if need be. Revenge could wait until later. Now, she needed to be free. The restraints were starting to drive her crazy.

Unfortunately, Shizuru seemed to have already reached "crazy," and she was going for "evil" now. "But this way Natsuki can't stop me from doing whatever I want with her body. She did that to me a couple nights ago, it's only fair. And forgive me, but Natsuki is just too irresistible for me to be able to wait until Friday."

In any other position, Natsuki would have simply blushed at Shizuru's words, but now, they just made her afraid. She desperately jerked her arms against her bonds in an attempt to get free, but it was to no avail. She felt tears starting to leak from her eyes, and she hoped Shizuru would recognize her pain and call off her plans. "Shizuru, please…" she said, her voice starting to crack.

"Alright," Shizuru said, though her tone of voice did nothing to ease Natsuki's fears. "I won't keep Natsuki waiting for my touch any longer." With this she brought her face down to touch her lips against Natsuki's. Her lips started to move against Natsuki's, though Natsuki steadfastly kept her own lips stiff to tell Shizuru that she was serious about this.

Eventually, Shizuru gave up on their kiss, but she didn't give up on trying to arouse Natsuki. Her lips drifted to Natsuki's neck, trying to provoke a reaction in the girl from contact there. Given a chance to speak, Natsuki pled once more, "Please, Shizuru, not like this. I want you, but not this way… please…" Natsuki broke into sobs as she trailed off, and Shizuru fortunately seemed to give up on her neck.

"Alright then," Shizuru said, backing off from Natsuki. Her voice was dejected, but Natsuki wasn't in a position to care about the other girl's feelings. Natsuki felt the restraints on her arms and legs disappear, but she didn't wait to ponder the implications of this. She immediately brought her arms up to wrap around Shizuru, pulling the girl back into her.

As Natsuki sobbed into Shizuru's shoulder, the other girl's arms slowly circled around to return the hug. At this point, the fact that Shizuru was the one who'd tortured her so didn't matter to Natsuki. She needed the comfort that only her girlfriend could provide, even if she was the one who had made it necessary in the first place. "Please don't scare me like that again, Shizuru," she said.

"Please don't make me, Natsuki," Shizuru told her. Her voice had taken on a depressed tone, and her body had started trembling as she said this. "I really don't like hurting you like that."

Natsuki started moving her hands to stroke along Shizuru's back. She didn't know what had brought about the change in the girl's mood, but it was certainly preferable to her wanting to keep Natsuki tied up. "Then why'd you do it, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked. Part of her wanted to just comfort her hurt friend, but she needed to know what was going on before she could relax enough to do that.

"Because you dreamed that I'd do it, Natsuki. I don't know why, but that thought crossed your mind, and something in you brought it out so you could work through it here." Shizuru's body had stopped trembling, but her voice still seemed strained. "I wish you could just dream of happier things, Natsuki. I'd love to take part in those dreams."

_Okay, this is definitely one confusing dream. Since when are my dreams self-aware, anyways?_ Natsuki gripped her arms onto Shizuru as she rolled onto her side. In this new position, she was able to back herself off a bit to look into the girl's face. "Who are you, really?" she asked, looking into the other girl's eyes to try to figure her out.

Shizuru quirked a smile at this. "Ara? Don't you recognize your girlfriend, Natsuki?"

"That's not what I mean, Shizuru!" Natsuki said. She really should have seen that one coming. With a mental sigh, she continued. "I know you look like Shizuru, but you're here in my dreams, and you seem more aware than any simple dream. Maybe I should have asked, 'What are you?'"

"Ah," Shizuru said. Her smile turned from mischievous to knowing in a heartbeat. Natsuki briefly wondered whether Shizuru actually used a greater array of smiles when around her, or whether she was just able to tell them all apart better than anyone else. Shizuru continued talking though, and her train of thought was derailed. "Well, I can answer that one. Over the last few days, you accepted your love for Shizuru, and you let her into your heart. I'm that little piece of her that you let in."

"Right…" Natsuki said. "I'll just have to trust you on that. So what are you doing in my mind anyways?"

"Oh, this and that," Shizuru said, winking in acknowledgment of her double entendre. "I'm still trying to find my way around, really, but I think I rather like it here. At least, when you don't make me play a role in your nightmares like this." Shizuru gave her a pathetic expression at this.

"Sorry about that." Natsuki apologized before she could catch herself. It seemed a bit odd for her to be the one apologizing, but she could never resist that expression on Shizuru's face. "But why am I having this nightmare anyways?"

"I think this is your mind's way of telling you you're afraid, and maybe trying to help you get over it," Shizuru said. Her expression softened into a sweet, loving gaze. She gave the impression with it that it was always there for Natsuki, and she just had to drop her mask to let it show through. She brought a hand up to cradle Natsuki's cheek. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Natsuki. I'd never do something like this unless I knew you wanted it."

Natsuki gave a slight nod at this. She brought up a hand of her own to hold Shizuru's hand against her face. "But you want it, don't you?" Shizuru gave a small nod, and a hint of sadness slipped into her eyes. "I think that's the problem. I'm afraid that I won't be able to give you everything you want."

Natsuki could see a tear start to pool in Shizuru's eye at this. When she spoke, her voice had softened, and love seemed to lace every word. "I've had so many fantasies about you, Natsuki. I don't think it would be humanly possible to fill them all. But by far the biggest one, the only one that really matters, was simply having you love me back. I have that now, and it's already more than I deserve."

Natsuki shook her head. "Don't play the martyr here, Shizuru. I love you, and I want to be able to give you as much as possible. I don't care if it's more than you think you deserve; you're getting it anyways."

"Natsuki is too sweet," Shizuru said, a hint of a blush rising to her cheeks. "But you're still afraid, aren't you?" Natsuki gave a weak nod. There was no point trying to lie and act strong here. "That's okay. I can try to help you with that. I'm not sure what all I can do, but I'll have plenty of time to fool around here in your brain and figure something out."

Shizuru started moving her hand against Natsuki's cheek, lightly stroking it. Natsuki removed her hand from its grasp to allow her more freedom, and she brought it over to Shizuru's cheek to return the favor. "Thank you, Shizuru."

Shizuru spent another moment stroking Natsuki's cheek, before she moved her hand to Natsuki's shoulder. "You can ask the real Shizuru for help, too, you know. I'm sure she'll be just as willing to help you out as I am. She can even do a better job than me of proving that you have nothing to fear."

"Yeah, but if I go to her, she'll tease me mercilessly about it," Natsuki said. She crossed her arms as best as she could in her position, trying to look annoyed.

Judging by Shizuru's expression, Natsuki came across more as simply cute to her. "Now come on, when have I ever teased you about the serious subjects?" Shizuru scolded, removing her hand from Natsuki's shoulder so she could give it a playful slap. "I've always been quite sensitive to that." She leaned forward, bringing her face to within an inch of Natsuki's. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, causing a pang of dread in Natsuki's heart. "Besides, I know what goes on in your mind. You don't mind it nearly as much as you let on."

A blush ran up to Natsuki's face at hearing this. "Oi! I do too mind it!"

"Oh really?" Shizuru said. "Then how come whenever I tease you, there's the same little flutter in your heart that you get when you think about how I love you?"

Natsuki rolled over onto her back out of spite. "Baka! I was wrong; Dream Shizuru is just as bad as the real thing."

"You should just be glad I'm not worse, seeing as I'm the one who's sure you secretly like it." Shizuru's voice had taken on a lustful tone. Apparently Natsuki's prior guess that she found Natsuki's discomfort and blushing somehow sexy was right on the money.

Natsuki rolled onto her other side out of further spite, leaving her back facing Shizuru. She couldn't think of anything clever to say in response, so she settled on an annoyed grunt. Of course, she realized a second too late that it was just this type of reaction that Shizuru was always trying to evoke from her. She started to mentally chastise herself for falling for it, but a thought struck her that held her back. If this was something Shizuru liked to see, maybe letting herself fall for it would be like a favor for her. _Yeah, that should be a good enough excuse for constantly falling for her traps. I'll just assume I'm subconsciously doing it to please her._

It wasn't long before Natsuki felt Shizuru start to lightly stroke her back, a move she'd expected to be coming and now quite welcomed. Shizuru had apparently had enough of teasing now, and was just taking the moment to caress her girlfriend. Natsuki allowed herself to relax a little, no longer on her guard for further taunts. "Why do you think I'm so scared, Shizuru?" she found herself saying.

"Ara, I would have thought Natsuki would know quite well why she doesn't like being tied up," Shizuru said. Her hand continued its caresses, now lightly stroking its way down Natsuki's spine and sending shivers through her body.

"Not just that," Natsuki said. She felt like she should have been uncomfortable bringing this up, but the fact that she knew this was a dream seemed to allay her fears about talking about these things. "Even just… doing it… normally." It didn't do so much for her modesty, apparently.

"Ah, I see," Shizuru said. She was silent for a couple minutes more, and her hand stopped its motions as she thought. Eventually, it started moving again and she spoke. "To be honest, Natsuki, I thought it would be a lot harder for you than it was to open your heart up to me. But you did it, and it seems like you weren't even afraid of doing so. I think, maybe you naturally would have been afraid, but you pushed the fear away for my sake. This aspect of opening yourself up to me is just where it ended up."

Natsuki thought about this for a bit. It made a certain amount of sense. She always had had trouble letting people into her heart in the past. After her mother's death and the departure of her father, she'd been afraid to get close to anyone. She'd acted that way towards Shizuru for quite some time, and it was only in this past week that she'd put aside that fear completely. So maybe whatever part of her mind it was that made her afraid was now making up for lost time. It could be true, but it still didn't help her get over the fear. "Yeah, maybe, Shizuru. Even knowing that, I'm still afraid, though."

Shizuru's hand disappeared from her back, and Natsuki wondered what was going on until she felt Shizuru move on the bed to press up against her back. One arm wrapped over her, while another squeezed its way under her so she could grip Natsuki in a hug. Her head came up to rest on Natsuki's shoulder and she said, "That's alright, Natsuki. There's nothing wrong with being afraid. But we can push our way through this together your first time, and after that it should get easier."

Natsuki twisted her body around so she could face Shizuru, the other girl's arms relaxing temporarily to allow her to do so. "Are you sure you don't mind if I'm afraid?" she said. "You seemed to really like me being courageous."

Shizuru gave Natsuki a smile which seemed to be half mischievous and half loving, but was oddly comforting. "That was when you were in control," she said. "It'll be a quite different experience for both of us when it's my turn to pleasure you, and your courage will be a lot less necessary."

_Of course._ Natsuki returned Shizuru's smile to thank her for all the reassurance. "You're just as sweet as the real Shizuru, you know," she said. As soon as she saw the blush form on the other girl's face, she moved her head in to catch her in a kiss.

Shizuru was caught off-guard by her kiss, but it only took a moment for her to get into it. She started slowly moving her lips back against Natsuki's. The sensations Natsuki was experiencing were certainly enjoyable, but she couldn't help wishing it were the real Shizuru she was kissing. But surely this wouldn't count as cheating on her or anything, so Natsuki allowed herself to enjoy the kiss as much as she could. She tentatively brought her tongue out, prodding Shizuru's lips…

…and a piercing noise tore the world away from around her. Natsuki's eyes snapped open to find the culprit, her alarm clock, staring at her with what had to be malice for it to take her away from such a moment. She brought her arm over and slammed it to shut it up, mildly disappointed that she didn't manage to break it. _Damn it. Just when it was getting good, too…_

* * *

The first half of Natsuki's school day seemed to drag on forever. She had Geometry in the morning, as it was the class she ended up missing the most, being both the first class in the morning her previous year and the subject she was best at and felt she needed to attend least. Unfortunately, the fact that she'd aced all the tests and assignments didn't make up for the fact that she'd attended less than a third of the classes in the administration's mind, so she was now forced to sit through interminable lectures on all the laws and theorems she'd already committed to memory. 

This left her mind with plenty of time to wander, while her ears were set to alert her in case anyone said the words, "assignment," "test," "quiz," "Natsuki," or "Kuga." Mostly her mind wandered over the state of her relationship with Shizuru, seeming to alternate between remembering the events two nights ago with embarrassment and anticipating those to come in four days with fear. When she started to worry that her constant blushes were drawing looks from other kids in class – a group mostly made up of delinquents who didn't at least have the excuse of trying to avenge their dead mothers and thus grated on Natsuki's nerves more than a little – she decided she'd best redirect the focus of her thoughts lest one of them get ideas. She didn't know exactly what ideas one of them might get, but given the crowd, it was a safe bet they wouldn't be good.

Natsuki tried to concentrate on what seemed to be a relatively safe subject: what she was going to do with her free time after school. Up until the end of the Carnival, she'd spent almost all of her free time either fighting Orphans, trying to track down other HiMEs, or searching for information on her mother. Now that all of those issues had been resolved – however much she might have wished it weren't the case given the truth about her mother – she was left with the problem of figuring how to actually have fun.

Shizuru had been a big help with that over the past week. Even if she might occasionally be embarrassed out of her mind, time spent with Shizuru was never boring. But she couldn't be around her every minute of her life outside of school. They did have their different homes to go to after all, and Natsuki was _not_ going to let her mind drift to possibly changing that situation. At least yet. It wasn't as if she was ruling it out in the future, after all…

Natsuki violently shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the daunting prospect of living with Shizuru. The boy sitting next to her gave her an odd look at this, but her patented glare made him suddenly find his notes to be the most interesting thing in the world. With a grunt, Natsuki went back to her thoughts, taking care to avoid that particular subject. Getting together with Shizuru after school was still an option, though she'd need to think of things to do with her. Dinner some day was a given, as she needed to make sure she got her first date out of the way before her first time… doing that thing which would make her blush just figuring out a name for it.

"…quiz at the end of class this Friday, so be sure to study," Natsuki's ears caught from the professor, snapping her out of her thoughts. A chorus of groans passed through the room, though Natsuki didn't join in. She already knew this all, so she had nothing to fear from a quiz. She probably wouldn't even bother studying for it.

Natsuki had to suppress a giggle as the thought of studying somehow brought up an image of her being tutored by Shizuru, dressed in her old Kaichou uniform and relishing her role as Natsuki's teacher. That might actually be enjoyable, and it could be worth bringing up if she couldn't think of anything else she could do with Shizuru. Okay, so if she included a dinner date and whatever Shizuru was planning for Friday, that was three out of five days for the coming week accounted for. It still wouldn't occupy all her time, but she'd probably have homework to help fill in, and she should probably get into an exercise routine to keep in shape as well.

As Natsuki noticed the kids around her leaving, she realized that this announcement must have marked the end of class. A glance at the clock confirmed this, so she proceeded to pack up her notebook, which she'd kept out just to avoid questions, and left to get some lunch before her afternoon class. She was much too lazy in the morning to be able to force herself to make a second meal and pack it up for lunch, so she was left with only the option of the campus cafeteria – which was notably reluctant to supply her with more than a couple packets of mayonnaise for lunch. Nevertheless, she was able to choke down the virtually mayonnaise-less food, and she headed off for her afternoon class: English.

Although she didn't have any particular problems with learning the language, the nature of the learning process was such that it was a lot harder to get by missing classes. English class had been during the middle of her day, so she didn't miss it that often, but the effect of what she did miss still piled up, and she'd ended up failing the final exam. Even if Sakomizu had bothered to try to cover up for her absences, much as Midori had thankfully done, her poor performance would have required her to repeat the course nonetheless.

The upside to all this was that the class was actually mildly interesting, and she didn't have to occupy herself with her thoughts during it. It didn't exactly pass quickly, but it did pass, and without much dull time for idle thoughts or potential embarrassment as her thoughts went to places they really shouldn't have been going at school. Eventually, it was all over, and Natsuki was free to make her way back to her dorm.

As she was walking, Natsuki felt a pang of regret. It took her a while to place it, but eventually she realized that this was the first time she'd gone home from school by a means other than riding her bike that she could remember. Riding was always a calming experience for her, and it was the perfect way to unwind after a day at school. Maybe she'd have to go out and just joyride a bit later.

It didn't take long for Natsuki to reach her room. At least she had the short journey to make up for not getting to ride her bike. As she unlocked and opened the door to her room, she casually tossed her backpack aside and let out a sigh of relief. Her first day of summer school was over. Only three months to go.

No sooner had she relaxed then was she assaulted from behind. Arms rapidly wrapped around her to secure her in place, and Natsuki went into a state of panic at the thought that her apartment had been invaded. Was it Searrs or the First District out for revenge? She briefly struggled, but stopped when the body behind her moved up to press against hers. It took a mere sentence for her mind to judge the exact shape of the body she was held against and place it.

"Damn it, Shizuru!" she said, trying to suppress the blush that was rushing to her face and failing miserably. "I thought I was under attack there. Can't I even feel safe in my own room?"

Natsuki felt Shizuru pull her closer in, and her arms drifted up somewhat, pressing uncomfortably against the undersides of her breasts. Well, not _that_ uncomfortably… Shizuru's head came in to rest on Natsuki's shoulder, and she could smell Shizuru's perfume as it was wafted around to her nose. It only took a couple of seconds for her to completely relax in the girl's embrace.

"Ara?" Shizuru said softly with a hint of mischievousness. "I thought Natsuki said she wouldn't complain about my surprise hugs if I didn't hold it over her head that I knew she liked them."

Natsuki wanted to complain and argue back, but she just didn't have the heart at the moment. Shizuru's embrace was causing a dull aching need to rise in her chest, and she felt her thought processes becoming just a bit hazy. "I'm sorry, Shizuru," she said. She felt some of Shizuru's muscles tense slightly at this, possibly from surprise at her soft tone and apology. "I just wasn't expecting you to be in my apartment. How'd you get in here anyways?"

Shizuru's body seemed to relax again, and Natsuki let herself melt into the hug. She brought her own arms up to cover Shizuru's as the girl answered her, "Intranet access privileges aren't the only perks to being Kaichou. They also gave me a few master keys, and I made sure to make myself some copies for emergency situations before turning them in. I think giving Natsuki a hug after she's been waiting all day to see me counts as an emergency, don't you?" The blush had almost faded from Natsuki's cheeks by this point, but this comment brought it right back. "And I was in desperate need of seeing some Natsuki blushes myself," Shizuru added teasingly.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki said. She wasn't able to force any actual annoyance into her voice at this point. Right now, she just felt touched that Shizuru would think to surprise her like this. Nevertheless, she was obligated to give that response at a minimum to her teasing. Knowing Shizuru, she'd probably end up punishing her if she didn't.

Natsuki spent another couple minutes in Shizuru's embrace, as the other girl started rocking her gently. She was getting a little afraid she might start to doze off if this lasted any longer, so she gently gripped onto Shizuru's hands and pulled them off of her. As soon as Shizuru's grip was loose enough, she spun and wrapped her arms around Shizuru's neck so she could gaze into her love's beautiful crimson eyes.

Shizuru met this with a pleased smile and her arms returned to their hold around Natsuki. Her eyes gazed deeply into Natsuki's, seeming as if they were delving the depths of her soul. _Look as close as you want, Shizuru. It's all just love in here now, _Natsuki thought, trusting her lover to pick up her intent. Sure enough, Shizuru seemed to figure this out for herself, and her gaze relaxed a little as tears started to form in her eyes. Natsuki let a smile split across her face at this, pleased that her girlfriend was still willing to let out her emotions in front of her.

"Thank you for coming, Shizuru," she said. "I did miss you." She didn't give Shizuru a chance to reply to this as she moved her mouth in to capture Shizuru's in her own. A spark seemed to run across their lips as they connected, and Natsuki reveled in the feeling of kissing Shizuru once again. She didn't think she'd ever be able to tire of this feeling, however often they did it.

It took only a moment for Shizuru to start to return the kiss. A wave of warmth shot its way through Natsuki's chest as she felt her passions being returned, and she allowed her mind to slip further into the haze that it had been lingering on the edge of since she first realized it was Shizuru who had caught her.

Neither of them felt the need to deepen the kiss, and Natsuki was perfectly satisfied with just caressing Shizuru's lips with hers and being caressed in turn. It had only been a day, but she had still gone far too long without this. On one level, she actually hoped it would always be this way, so they could share sweet kisses like these every time they met each other again. With this thought in her mind, she slowly pulled back from the kiss and let her nose rest against Shizuru's as she softly said, "I love you, Shizuru."

She could hear Shizuru choke back a sob at hearing this. She really was letting her emotions out now, and Natsuki felt another wave of warmth course through her chest at the realization of what she was doing for her. "Natsuki…" was all Shizuru said, but it translated in Natsuki's mind as, "I love you too."

Natsuki moved her head to the side and rested it on Shizuru's shoulder, moving her arm down around her shoulder and out of the way, as she contented herself with hugging her girlfriend. Oh, how she loved this. She'd had so many worries earlier that day and in her dreams the previous night, but they all seemed to fade away in Shizuru's presence. She knew that she could trust her friend not to do anything that might push her limits, however much she might want to herself.

But something about it still struck her as a bit wrong. She didn't want Shizuru to have to hold herself back. She was still afraid of what might happen between them if she didn't, though.

_No._ Natsuki pushed those thoughts out of her head. In any case, they'd both agreed not to go any further until Friday night so they could be free to sleep with each other after whatever happened. There was no reason for her to worry about all of that now. She might be afraid, but she'd promised herself to Shizuru already, and there was no way she'd let herself break that promise. That would be at least one step towards letting Shizuru have all she wanted, and she wouldn't need to worry about any more until after that.

"Natsuki," Shizuru said after a bit. "I'd really love to keep hugging you, but I'm afraid my legs are about to give out. I've been standing here waiting for you for quite a while."

Natsuki chuckled lightly as she released her grip from Shizuru and backed off. "It's alright, you can sit down," she said, making sure Shizuru caught the smile on her face so she knew that she wasn't mad.

Shizuru smiled back at Natsuki and took a seat, leaning back to take the pressure off of her legs. Natsuki felt an idea for what to do starting to form in her mind, and she paced the room a little as she let it percolate and take form. Once it struck her, she turned to Shizuru and said, "Hey, Shizuru, would you like to go for a bike ride with me?"

The suggestion seemed to surprise Shizuru. Before she could politely decline, Natsuki explained her reasoning. "I mean, I was just thinking that it's something I really like to do, and it would be nice if I could share that with you. Plus, it'll allow you to hug me from behind and still be sitting down. Er, I guess though, that maybe it's a bit selfish and I should be asking to do something you like first, but-"

"I'd love to," Shizuru said, cutting Natsuki off. Natsuki had let her gaze drift from Shizuru as she started to ramble, and as she brought it back she realized that the girl was actually blushing at this. _Score one, Natsuki. _"I can teach you the fine arts of tea brewing later, but this sounds like a good plan for today," Shizuru added. An excited smile had formed on her face, and Natsuki knew she was serious about this and wasn't just agreeing to please her.

Natsuki let a smile light up her face, partly in joy at Shizuru's agreement, and partly because she was pleased that her idea of sharing what she loved with Shizuru was received well. She rushed to her closet and took out her helmet and biking leathers. She tossed the helmet over to Shizuru and said, "Wear this. I'll go carefully for today, and if you like it, we can get you your own helmet and leathers later." As soon as she turned away to change into her leathers in her room, the thought of a leather-clad Shizuru passed through her mind, causing a blush to rapidly form on her face. _Damn it. Score one, Shizuru, without even trying._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Much thanks to centauri2002 for betaing this so all of you could have a more enjoyable read! 

Also, don't worry, I don't plan to do every day of the week in this much detail. It's not going to take 5 more chapters before we get to Friday. ;)


	2. Friday on my Mind

**Datclaimer:** I do not own the concept of mocking constant disclaimers for something which should be obvious. Neither does Sunrise.

**Author's Note: **Title of this chapter's a nod to all my readers in this situation (and anyone out there who remembers the song). Of course, we all know that the build-up is a big part of the enjoyment, so don't expect me to just jump straight to the smut. After all, that's the whole point of foreplay, n'est-ce pas?

Sorry for the wait on this one, but it's another monster chapter for you all. Also, much thanks to centauri2002 for helping me beta and revise this. Enjoy!

* * *

**Title:** Perchance to Dream

**Rating: **M

**Chapter 2:** Friday on my Mind

* * *

_Results of tonight's Battle of the Blush: Natsuki: one blush in five attempts, Shizuru: eight blushes in six attempts. I really should stop picturing you in biker leathers if I want to stand a chance at winning in the future… Damn it, make that nine for you._

_But anyways, if I can control my blushing, we are definitely going out to get you some biking gear tomorrow. Once you're fully equipped, I won't have to be as ridiculously careful as I was today, and I promise it'll be even more fun. We can go to some places more interesting than just circling around Fuuka Gakuen, too. I'm so glad you enjoyed doing that with me, Shizuru. Despite the confidence I tried to show, I was really worried about how you'd take that suggestion. In any other circumstance, I could never imagine the graceful Fujino Shizuru doing something like that. It's so sweet that you can let down that façade for me and just have fun doing this kind of thing._

_I'm definitely going to try to do the same thing for you. First thing up is definitely going to be tea brewing and drinking. To be honest, I've never actually tried tea before. I was always on such a natural adrenaline rush when I had to get up early that caffeine just didn't seem necessary. As for just enjoying it, well, I'm just now getting to a point in my life where I can spend time to enjoy anything. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy it, so that will be another thing I can do with you._

_Now, what should we do tomorrow? Well, there's getting you equipped for our bike rides. I guess we could do that right after school. Maybe we could have our dinner date after that. I'll have to start thinking about where we could go. I don't know that many nice places for dinner, though. I'm mostly just one for fast food when eating out. I hope I'll be able to survive at some place fancier._

* * *

"Ugh, why do I suddenly feel like a walking cliché," Natsuki muttered under her breath as she led Shizuru into the sporting goods store she frequented for biking gear.

"Ara, what could be bothering Natsuki?" Shizuru asked. Her tone of voice made Natsuki suspect she knew exactly what was up, but was just playing at it to tease her. She decided to resist the temptation to give in to and held her tongue as she led Shizuru through the store. Sadly, this just provoked Shizuru to push further. "Hmm, I guess I'll have to figure it out myself," she said, bringing a finger to her chin as she appraised Natsuki.

"Cut it out, Shizuru," Natsuki grumbled. She could feel heat rising to her face and fought a battle to suppress it, or even better, think of some way to make Shizuru blush first.

"Nope!" Shizuru said cheerfully. She immediately reverted back to her analysis. "Now, let's see. Natsuki's all dressed up so cutely in her biker leathers, coming to outfit her girlfriend in some of the same. What cliché could that fit, I wonder?"

Fortunately the store wasn't very crowded, so no one was able to see the smoke that Natsuki was sure was coming out of her ears as she fumed silently at Shizuru. She was at the point where it might be easier to just blurt out the cliché for Shizuru, but she didn't want to give the girl that satisfaction. An idea struck her, and she decided to take a stab at it. "You realize if you keep going where I think you're going, Shizuru," she said, "you're going to end up fitting the cliché of being my bitch. That is what they call your seat after all."

Natsuki snuck a quick peak back at Shizuru and was pleased to see a hint of a blush forming on her face, though it was unfortunately accompanied by a mirthful smile. She'd take what she could get, though, and she let a victorious smile cross her face as she turned the corner to the biking goods section.

Her victory was short-lived, however, as Shizuru was quick to recover and launch a counter-attack. "Ooh, you mean like a dog? I get to be Natsuki's puppy?" she said cheerfully. She ran up in front of Natsuki and faced her with her hands held up like paws and her mouth open, panting. "Woof! I'm Duran, and I love my master!" As if she wasn't already being embarrassing enough, she followed this up by leaning in towards Natsuki and giving her a couple happy licks across the face.

"Shizuru, stop it!" she said, trying to push the girl off of her. The feeling of Shizuru's slobbers prevented her from figuring out whether she was blushing, but she assumed she probably was. Even so, she couldn't help but giggling at her girlfriend's behavior, as much as she wanted to be mad at her.

Shizuru gave a light chuckle herself as she calmed down and gave Natsuki a break. "So, Natsuki likes me acting as her puppy. I'll have to remember that." She gave Natsuki a quick wink before turning around, fortunately missing out on the blush Natsuki felt rising to her face. "Ah, I see we're here already," Shizuru said as she scanned this region of the store.

The section of the store devoted to biking goods was a rough square in the back corner, loosely walled off by shelves on two sides and the walls of the store on the other two. In the center was an overly-large and inefficient bike of some American build, the only model sold by this store. Any biker worth her salt knew not to buy a bike from anything but a store devoted to them, but that wasn't the draw of coming here.

The big draw was the vast array of miscellaneous gear they kept stocked here. As this store catered to a different demographic, they focused more on biking accessories in this section. This meant that they had quite a selection of helmets for Shizuru to choose from, along with a decent selection of leathers. There weren't too many female bikers, but there was enough of an auxiliary market for girls who just wanted to look like bikers that there were plenty of outfits designed for girls here.

"Yeah, this is it," Natsuki said. "Helmets are on the stands over there," she pointed to the stands to the right, "and leathers are on the shelves behind them. You'll want a shirt and pants, of course, and maybe a jacket. Gloves are a good idea, but don't bother with any of their shoes; they're no better than your average pair of runners."

Shizuru gave a pout at this last part. "But none of my shoes will match the rest of the outfit," she said dejectedly.

Natsuki sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, it's your money." Shizuru gave her a questioning and slightly mischievous look, so she repeated, "It's_ your_ money." _I know you can afford it. I'm the one living off a scholarship and child support here._

Shizuru gave a disappointed sigh and pout, and she went over to inspect the helmets. Even though Natsuki was sure it was an act, she still felt a little pang in her heart seeing her girlfriend pretending to be hurt. With a mental sigh, she walked over to where Shizuru was looking through the helmets and brought a hand up to lightly stroke her back. She didn't really know what message she was trying to get across. It wasn't as if she was sorry for anything. It just felt like the right thing to do. Shizuru seemed to agree, as Natsuki could see one of her genuine smiles forming on what she could see of her face.

As Shizuru looked over the helmets, Natsuki started describing some of the choices to her. "The safest type of helmet in case of a crash is the full-face type, which is the type I wear. It's also a bit more isolating, so you won't have to worry about the wind getting in your eyes and stuff. Problem is that it may get stuffy inside for long rides, but if you get one with good ventilation it shouldn't be much of a problem. I'd really recommend picking out one of those. Just find one you think looks nice and fits well."

Shizuru nodded along to Natsuki's advice as she looked over the helmets. Most of the helmets on the racks were black, as this seemed to be the color preference of 95 percent of male bikers. There were other colors available, though, including a few white helmets which appealed to safety-conscious riders thanks to their increased visibility and an array of helmets of miscellaneous other colors. Glancing over these, Natsuki could pick out immediately which one Shizuru would go for in the end, though she seemed to be making a token effort at not jumping right to it.

With a light chuckle, Natsuki went over to the end of the rack and picked out a helmet in Shizuru's favorite shade of purple. As Shizuru looked over to see what she was doing, Natsuki brought it up and fitted it over her head, briefly surprising her. "There, how does that one feel?"

Getting a response of only muffled sounds from inside the helmet, Natsuki flipped up the visor for Shizuru. As her face became visible, another of her genuine smiles spread across it, and Natsuki could see a twinkle in her eye. "Perfect. Natsuki has quite an eye for these things."

Natsuki gave a small smile back, but she quickly turned away when she felt heat starting to rise to her cheeks. Shizuru wasn't going to get her that easily. She covered up her turning red by saying, "Okay, now for your leathers. Pretty much anything here is good enough safety-wise, so just pick out whatever looks good and fits you."

It seemed Shizuru had another idea, though. Natsuki felt her hands creep over her shoulders, and Shizuru lightly blew into her ear. A shudder ran through Natsuki's body at this sudden intimate act. "I have a better idea," Shizuru said softly into her ear. "Natsuki seems to be getting quite worked up for some reason." _Might the reason be that you're actively trying to work me up?_ "So, how about you go off and browse around the store yourself for a bit and cool off, while I pick out something. You can meet me at the dressing room in 15 minutes or so to see what I've found."

"A-alright," Natsuki said, trying and failing to ignore the warm breath that Shizuru was once again blowing into her ear. With one last wave of shudders, she slipped out of Shizuru's grasp and headed out of the section. She turned back to give the mirthful Shizuru one last wave as she ducked out of sight.

Her mind briefly wondered what Shizuru had in mind with getting rid of her. Was she being a bit overbearing here? Did Shizuru need her space? Or was this just another way of teasing her? The last seemed the most likely, though it still felt like there had to be more to the tease than just this. With a sigh, Natsuki resigned herself to whatever big tease Shizuru was setting up as she headed off to browse around a bit.

She didn't find much else in the store that grabbed her interest. Although she was certainly no slouch in most athletic endeavors, none of them held any particular draw for her. Eventually she settled on browsing some of the hand-weights; they would be a good way for her to keep in shape when she didn't have access to the gym. After testing out what she could lift easily, she settled on a couple of 25 lb. weights which seemed to be just heavy enough to give her a bit of a challenge.

The flaw in her plan was revealed to her as she started walking back towards the changing room: She'd have to lug these weights around with her until she left. Although she was able to lift and carry them, her arms were bound to get quite sore before long. She glanced around to see if there were any employees about that could help her, but she wasn't able to spot any. _Well, at least this lack of employees wandering about kept any of them from walking in on Shizuru and me earlier, but still…_

The changing rooms were mostly empty when Natsuki got there. In fact, only one seemed to be in use, so she assumed that Shizuru was likely inside it. "Hey, Shizuru, you there?" she said.

"Yes, Natsuki, just a second," came the reply. Natsuki heard the sound of a zipper from behind the door, and it opened a moment later.

"Shi-Shizuru…" Natsuki was stunned by the sight. Shizuru had donned a pair of skin-tight black leather pants, accompanied with a dark blue leather vest which was disturbingly form-fitting on her. In fact, it seemed to even work to emphasize her form in just the right places…

Shizuru cocked her head, and an expression of concern rose on her face. "Ara, is Natsuki alright?"

"Y-yeah," Natsuki said, barely able to vocalize the words. _Just a blush, I'm sure. Nothing worse than what she usually does to me, but still… Why did it take me so long to notice how sexy she is?_

Shizuru took a couple of steps towards Natsuki and bent her head down a bit. "Oh my, Natsuki. I think your nose is bleeding. Are you sure you're alright?"

It took Natsuki's mind a few minutes to get its focus off of Shizuru's body and onto her words. When it did, though, the reaction was immediate. "Huh? What!?" Her left hand shot up to her nose, but the determination of whether or not it was indeed bleeding was interrupted by the determination that yes, she had just forgotten about the weight that was in her hand and yes, it had just painfully fallen on her foot.

Natsuki yelped in pain and her hands instinctively went to cradle her throbbing foot. This was of course a bad idea, as she'd forgotten about the weight in her other hand which chose that moment as a good time to obey gravity and strike her other foot. Another whimper of pain escaped from Natsuki's mouth as she crumpled to the ground to cradle both of her feet.

_Stupid sexy Shizuru…_

* * *

"Ara ara, I'm so sorry, Natsuki," Shizuru said as she placed the icepacks on Natsuki's feet. "I was just trying to tease you, so I made up the nosebleed thing. I didn't think that it might make you drop the weights."

Natsuki grunted and turned her head away from Shizuru. She wasn't really mad at her girlfriend, just at herself for being idiotic enough to forget about 25 lb. weights in her hands. But Shizuru regretting her teasing was a situation that didn't come around often, and she wanted to milk the moment for all it was worth. "Did you really have to carry me out of the store like that? Everyone was watching."

"It was only a couple of customers and the cashier," Shizuru said. Her voice had taken a pathetic tone, and Natsuki imagined that a pout had formed on her face. "Besides, there was no way you'd be able to walk out on your own."

Natsuki gave another grunt. No way she could really argue with that. To Shizuru's credit, she had done everything she could for Natsuki after the incident. She'd immediately carried Natsuki out of the store, stepping back in quickly to pay for her leathers, her helmet, and Natsuki's weights. She'd then driven Natsuki back to her dorm, where she was now applying ice packs to her swollen feet. The best part was that she'd done it all without a single tease.

With a sigh, Natsuki turned her head back to look at Shizuru. Perhaps she was going a bit far with trying to make her feel guilty. She really didn't deserve that. It wasn't even as if she really minded her teasing when it came down to it; she wouldn't be Fujino Shizuru without it. Judging by the expression on her face, she was really upset about this, and Natsuki just couldn't let her suffer if she could help it.

Natsuki forced a smile onto her face and said as convincingly as she could, "Thanks, Shizuru." She did mean it, but it didn't end up coming out very well. She was still a bit upset, after all. Whoever's fault this was, it meant they couldn't go out on their date this evening. Since she hadn't even brought up the suggestion with Shizuru yet, it would be hard to explain that to her.

Shizuru's expression softened a little, and she gave a weak smile. Pain showed through clearly in her eyes, though, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears. She was still obviously quite torn up, feeling responsible for hurting Natsuki. Natsuki in turn was torn up from seeing Shizuru in pain, and she struggled to think of what she could do to reassure her.

When an idea struck her, Natsuki held out her hand to Shizuru, who cautiously gripped it, unsure of her intentions. Not wanting to say anything and end up spoiling the moment, Natsuki simply pulled Shizuru over to her. When she was within range, she let go of her hand and brought both of her own hands up behind Shizuru's head. She lightly pulled her girlfriend, who had started to get the hint, down to her face and gave her a tender kiss.

On one level, Natsuki was starting to worry that she might be overplaying this one trick. It seemed it was the only thing she could ever think of to ease Shizuru's suffering. Then again, it had always worked. It was a good way for her to make her feelings clear without struggling and failing for words.

And of course, it was quite enjoyable. Natsuki didn't think she'd ever get tired of feeling Shizuru's lips against her own like this. They were so soft, and they always seemed to move against hers in just the right way. They had a unique taste all to their own, though it was somewhat reminiscent of green tea, which just screamed, "Shizuru," to her. That was the best part, really, that it was Shizuru she was sharing this with.

As they parted for breath, Natsuki took a chance to hazard some words. "Don't worry, Shizuru. It's not your fault. I'm not mad at you," she said as she looked into Shizuru's eyes. She watched as the guilt in them faded a little, though it didn't completely vanish.

Shizuru gave a small nod. "Natsuki is still upset, though," she said. "What's wrong?"

_Damn it. Am I always this transparent?_ Natsuki let out a sigh as she dropped her gaze from Shizuru's. No point holding back her concerns about their date at this point. "I was hoping… to go out for dinner with you tonight," she said. A blush rose to her cheeks at the thought of how she was being too sentimental about this, but she pushed through. "I wanted us to have our first date…"

She couldn't see Shizuru's eyes since she'd looked down, but Natsuki was able to get a clear view of her cheeks turning red at this. She was never able to make her girlfriend blush when she was actively trying to, but it just seemed to happen on its own when she was going for something else. _Ah well, I'll take what I can get._

"You know," Shizuru said, pulling Natsuki out of her reverie. "We don't really need to go out for it to be a date."

Natsuki furrowed her brow as she looked up at Shizuru. The girl had that mischievous glint in her eyes, though it wasn't as frightening as it normally was. "Isn't that the whole point of a date, though?" Natsuki said. "To go out and have dinner or go to a movie or something?"

"Oh, those are just the locations," Shizuru said. She pushed herself up from the bed as she started to share her idea with Natsuki. "The point of a date is to be with someone you care about and just have fun and get to know them. We can do that perfectly fine right here. I'll go order us a pizza – I know how you are for fast food – and we'll have our first date right here in your room. Sound good?"

At the hopeful look on Shizuru's face, Natsuki's mind flashed back to when she was acting like a puppy earlier. She could just imagine that same expression showing up on a dog's face, hopeful that she'd pleased her master. Thoughts ran through her head about how if this was all it took to qualify as a date, they'd already done that the previous week while Shizuru was taking care of her on a couple of days, but she pushed them away. She just couldn't bring herself to disappoint Shizuru when she was acting like this.

"Alright then." Natsuki allowed a smile to form on her face as she thought about how cute Shizuru was being. "It's a date."

Shizuru's face lit up and she let out a squeal of joy. It seemed a bit over-the-top, especially for the normally reserved girl, and Natsuki suspected that she was deliberately making it that way for her benefit. She wasn't complaining, though, except maybe about the fact that she didn't have a camera on-hand so she could keep a record of this… not that she was _planning_ on using it to blackmail Shizuru, but it never hurt to be prepared.

As Shizuru left to order them a pizza, Natsuki took a moment to inspect the state of her feet. She really hoped that nothing was broken or even sprained, as she couldn't afford to miss any school. If that was the case, unfortunately she'd just have to suffer through the pain and go to class anyways, plus she'd probably have to fight off Shizuru's offers to carry her to class.

With a deep breath to prepare herself for the worst, Natsuki sat up and nervously peeled the ice pack off of her left foot. It was still quite swollen, and a dark bruise had formed. That wasn't too bad; a bruise she could live with. She cautiously tried moving her foot around, wincing at the pain this elicited. It was mostly located where the bruising was, though, so she hoped this meant there wasn't any deeper damage. At least it was a good indication nothing was broken. She then replaced the icepack and repeated the process on her right foot. The damage didn't seem to be as bad on that one, likely because the weight didn't have as far to fall. She sighed with relief as she laid back down. She'd have to check a bit later to make sure there weren't any sprains or anything, but the signs were good so far.

"So how are your feet doing, Natsuki?" Natsuki jerked in surprise at the sound of Shizuru's voice. _Damn, she can be sneaky when she wants to be._ Her jolt prompted a giggle from the girl, which Natsuki tried and failed to shut up with a glare. Sadly, it seemed that Shizuru had developed an immunity to the Kuga Death Glare.

Growling briefly at her failure to stop Shizuru's laughter, Natsuki rolled her eyes and responded, "They seem to be about as good as I could hope. We'll see how they are later on, but I don't think there's anything broken at least."

Shizuru gave a smile as her laughter quieted down. "That's good," she said. She approached Natsuki's bed and took her usual spot on the side of it. "So, you think you'll be able to make it to class on your own tomorrow morning?" she said with a hopeful glint in her eye.

_Yup, I was right about that one._ "Yeah, I think I should be able to make it," Natsuki said, and the hope faded from Shizuru's eyes as she went into pouting mode. Mentally growling at how she was letting herself be manipulated so easily, she conceded through clenched teeth, "You can carry me around the room tonight, if you insist." _Damn you, Shizuru. I really should be able to resist that fake pout of yours._

Shizuru's face immediately lit up at Natsuki's concession, and Natsuki was worried for a moment that she'd be picked up right there. Fortunately, Shizuru was a bit more merciful than this, and she gave Natsuki a reprieve for the moment. She wouldn't be able to evade her grasp indefinitely though, she knew. With a sigh, Natsuki let herself fall back down to the bed. Might as well be comfortable while waiting for Shizuru to abduct her.

"So, I take it you're done ordering the pizza?" she said, as she tried to find the perfect spot on the pillow to lay her head. "What type did you get for us?"

Shizuru gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I tried and I tried, but I'm sorry to say they just refused to put mayonnaise on it for you."

"Baka," Natsuki said. She contemplated sticking her tongue out at Shizuru, but decided against it when she recalled what happened the last time she'd done that. Okay, it wasn't that bad… but later. "I don't put mayonnaise on everything, you know." Shizuru gave her a blank look. "Well, I don't! It just doesn't work with pizza, for one thing."

Shizuru's eyes rolled. Even if it she believed Natsuki, she wasn't going to give in to it. "Well anyways, I got a half-and-half pizza. Veggie for me, meat lover's for you. You're going to need the protein to build up muscles with those new weights."

"Excuses, excuses," Natsuki taunted. "You know as well as I do that you just got it because I like it." She was ready for Shizuru's pout this time, and had her counterattack planned out in advance. Preparing herself for what she knew would be coming, she thrust her tongue out tauntingly at Shizuru. Sure enough, it took less than two seconds for her to find herself with her lips locked to Shizuru's and her tongue deep inside the girl's mouth.

Allowing herself only a second to chuckle over her victory at manipulating the master manipulator, Natsuki let herself be absorbed into the sensations of the kiss. Shizuru seemed to be focusing most of her attentions on her tongue, as Natsuki felt the silky texture of her girlfriend's lips encompassing and massaging it while her tongue playfully circled around it and occasionally flicked at the tip.

Natsuki unconsciously let out a yelp when she suddenly lost track of Shizuru's tongue. She rapidly brought her hands up to pull Shizuru's head as close as she could into hers, tilting it to the side so their mouths fit together better, while she thrust her own tongue forward in search of it, conscious that this was probably exactly Shizuru's intent. As soon as she found it hiding at the back of her mouth, it thrust back out along the length of her own tongue, extending well into her mouth.

She quickly realized that her tongue was no longer Shizuru's primary target as she felt the girl's tongue start to explore the depths of her mouth. _So that was her goal,_ Natsuki noted as she let out a light chuckle, the motions of which Shizuru seemed to find quite enjoyable.

Deciding to simply let the girl have her fun, Natsuki allowed herself to relax and concentrate on all the sensations Shizuru was eliciting in her. The feeling of her tongue against the back of her mouth, even occasionally tickling the back of throat, was an obvious and quite enjoyable one. Moving beyond that a bit, there were Shizuru's lips pressed up tightly against hers, not moving too much as most of Shizuru's concentration was focused on her tongue. It was still quite nice feeling them though, especially with how well their mouths fit together with Shizuru's head bent this way, almost as if they were made for each.

_Bah, what do I mean "as if"? I don't think I have any question left that we definitely are made for just each other._ Natsuki would have smiled at this pleasant thought if her mouth were in any position that allowed it to move, so she decided to show her happiness in another way. She shifted her left leg to the side and under Shizuru's body, and then wrapped it around her. Grasping her intent, Shizuru shifted her body up onto the bed, allowing Natsuki's right leg to join its partner in clasping Shizuru against her. The movement caused a few sharp pains in her feet, but Natsuki was far beyond caring.

Natsuki's hands were already pressed against the back of Shizuru's head – and relishing the lovely texture of Shizuru's soft chestnut locks while they were at it – so Natsuki only had to bring her elbows up over Shizuru's shoulders to maximize the contact of her arms. Finally in a position where she had completely maximized the contact of her body with Shizuru's, Natsuki allowed herself a moan of delight. She could certainly get used to snuggling with the girl like this, and she could barely wait until she got the chance to spend a night sleeping with her again.

The thought of this next occasion brought with it a reminder of what she'd promised she'd allow Shizuru to do to her before that happened, causing a wave of heat to rush to her face. A little voice in the back of Natsuki's head expressed disappointment that with how focused Shizuru was on the kiss, she wouldn't get to see this blush, but the much louder voice of Natsuki's modesty promptly shut it up and started fretting about what Shizuru had planned for her.

As these carnal thoughts invaded Natsuki's mind, her attention was drawn to a lower part of her body which was now pressed up against Shizuru courtesy of the position her legs were in. There was some extra warmth there – the kiss was definitely having an effect on her – but it didn't feel like it was enough that she'd be comfortable overcoming her modesty to let Shizuru in. It was a little worrying, and Natsuki started to fear that it wouldn't be any better on Friday, when she'd promised to let Shizuru go further.

Maybe it was just that she was missing the build-up. When pleasuring Shizuru, she hadn't gone straight for the goal. All her research told her that she was supposed to play around a bit first, and that had certainly seemed to work. That was probably the whole point of it then: to get the other girl excited enough that she wasn't afraid to let the other in._Ugh, why do I have to be such an idiot sometimes? Of course that's the point, and I'm sure Shizuru will know that herself and make sure I… oh…_

A wave of pleasure coursed through Natsuki's body as she felt Shizuru's lips press against her collar bone. She'd been too lost in though to notice Shizuru had left her mouth, but she certainly wasn't complaining about this new sensation. It was as if Shizuru were reading her mind and confirming that yes, she was well aware of what she'd have to do to get her fully in the mood.

Natsuki felt like she was drowning in the sensations Shizuru was eliciting in her as she trailed kisses along her collarbone and up the side of her neck. If Shizuru were to press her much further, she didn't know if she'd be able to resist, or even if she wanted to. One small part of her mind tried to complain that they were supposed to wait until Friday so they'd be free to sleep together afterwards, but its tiny voice was barely heard over the waves of pleasure coursing through her body at Shizuru's caresses.

The small voice was vindicated however, when a sharp knocking jolted Natsuki out of her daze. Shizuru seemed to be stunned as well, and as Natsuki's eyes focused on her face, she saw a grimace of what looked like anger forming on it. _Could that be the pizza already?_ Natsuki wondered. _How long have we been kissing?_ She turned her head to check the clock as she felt Shizuru crawling off of her to go answer the door. She hadn't checked the time when Shizuru left to order the pizza, though, but it had been at least half an hour since they'd arrived. However she split it, it had easily been long enough for the pizza to get there, assuming Shizuru had ordered from a nearby store.

From the expression she'd seen on Shizuru's face, Natsuki was a bit concerned for the delivery boy. However, Shizuru was a master at controlling her emotions, so surely she wouldn't be too hard on him. Natsuki heard the door opening and some muffled voices making their way into her room. No yelling, so she let out a little sigh of relief. After a moment, she heard the door close and Shizuru strolled back into her bedroom, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Now, I believe Natsuki promised me that she'd let me carry her around her dorm," Shizuru said, a dangerous look forming in her eye. Natsuki gulped in barely-restrained fear. She trusted Shizuru not to do anything to hurt her or that really made her uncomfortable, but unfortunately she also trusted her to push her limits as far as she could, and she had a sinking feeling she was about to experience just that.

Shizuru approached her and hooked one arm under Natsuki's knees and the other behind her back, lifting her up much as she had earlier that day when Natsuki had first been injured. _Okay, this isn't so bad,_ Natsuki thought as Shizuru started to carry her out to the kitchen. As she looped her arms around Shizuru's shoulders to steady herself, the girl suddenly snuck her head in to steal a quick kiss. It brought a light blush to Natsuki's cheeks, but mostly it caused her to relax as she figured that was as bad as the teasing was going to get.

Of course, she really shouldn't have underestimated Shizuru. Instead of placing Natsuki down at the place she'd set up for her, Shizuru simply pulled out her own chair and sat down, allowing Natsuki to come to rest in her lap. The blush on Natsuki's face deepened as she realized the extent of Shizuru's game, but the only response it got from the girl was a lilting, "Well, shall we eat?"

Natsuki glared at Shizuru, but got only a pleasant, if devious, smile in return. Shizuru didn't wait long for her, though, as she opened up the pizza box and withdrew two slices from it, one for her and one for Natsuki, and placed them on her plate. The ploy didn't please Natsuki however, and she demanded, "Are you going to force me to walk to my seat myself?"

"Ara?" Shizuru said, her face a mask of perfect innocence. "Why would Natsuki wish to do that?"

Natsuki knew if she told the truth she would be subjected to Shizuru's pout and end up giving in, regardless of the fact that she knew that it was coming and would be fake. She struggled briefly for an excuse that might get her off the hook, and went with the first thing that crossed her mind. "Because if I sit right here, I won't have enough room to eat pizza while looking into those beautiful crimson eyes of yours." She batted her eyelids for added effect, and fortunately Shizuru simply blushed at this rather then breaking out into laughter at her performance.

"Ara, I'm going to hold you to that, you know," Shizuru said, bringing her eyes up to meet Natsuki's. As she got up and carried Natsuki over to her own seat, maintaining eye contact the whole time, Natsuki noted to herself that it would be breaking eye contact so she could properly pick up the pizza that would be the problem. There was something hypnotic about them that threatened to draw her in, and at this moment, she wasn't sure that was such a bad thing.

The spell was broken when Shizuru put her down and turned away to head back to her seat. Taking advantage of her free moment, Natsuki snatched her slice of pizza off of Shizuru's plate in case the girl demanded her eye contact again as soon as she sat down. Although she did immediately meet Natsuki's gaze when she sat back down, offering her a loving smile, the hypnotic effect of her eyes was mercifully lessened with distance.

"So, I guess it would be appropriate for us to try to get to know each other better on our first date," Shizuru said. After taking a bite of her slice of pizza – she of course used a fork and knife for it rather than something as ungraceful as picking it up with her hands – she continued, "But it seems to me that after her explorations last Saturday, Natsuki must already know all she could about me. I might just have to even the scores tonight."

"Huh?" Natsuki said through a mouthful of pizza as she gave Shizuru a blank look and tried to puzzle out what she meant. Catching her confusion, Shizuru gave Natsuki a sultry wink to emphasize her point, prompting a fierce blush in the girl as she figured it out. She gulped down her pizza and snapped, "Oh no, you don't! I told you no sneak peaks until Friday, and I'm sticking to that. Besides, it's not as if I actually spent that much time learning about you; I was too busy just focusing on what you needed that I… I… really should learn when to shut up." Natsuki covered up her embarrassment by quickly shoving what remained of her slice of pizza into her mouth, keeping her eyes well away from Shizuru.

Either Shizuru decided to be merciful or she was as stunned by Natsuki's admission as Natsuki was to have made it, as she refrained from comment on this matter. She continued eating for a few minutes in silence. After she got out her second slice of pizza and Natsuki had finally worked up the courage to face her again, she tried a different line of conversation. "How about this: Ask anything you want about me, Natsuki. Fujino Shizuru is an open book to you tonight."

Natsuki paused in her pizza binge to consider this for a moment. What didn't she already know about Shizuru? She'd already figured out quite well what her deepest secret was, and a lot of her other private thoughts seemed to revolve around that one as well. On the other end, there were the aspects of herself that everyone knew about: her green tea addiction, her manipulative personality, her graceful Kyoto breeding… aha! There was one thing. "Tell me about your family, Shizuru," Natsuki said. "Where do you come from?"

Natsuki noticed a slight twitch in Shizuru's smile. It was subtle, but it seemed that she approved of Natsuki's choice of questions. "Well, as you probably know, the Fujinos are a very successful Kyoto family. When the technology boom was just starting up, my mother's parents sniffed the breeze and jumped right in. We've been well-off ever since. Of course, they didn't let the success go to their heads, and they kept close to their traditional Japanese roots, and this extended through my mother."

"Wait a second," Natsuki cut in, swallowing her current mouthful of pizza. "Your mother's parents? They're the Fujinos?"

"Ara, I was getting to that," Shizuru said. Her face barely budged, but a twinkle in her eye hinted that she was proud of Natsuki for catching that point. "Meanwhile, my father was born to an American immigrant and the Japanese beauty who'd convinced him to stay in the country. They had started up their own business, and they were moderately successful.

"Eventually they came to the attention of my parents, and they got into talks about merging their business into Fujino Technologies. For some reason I'll never know, my mother's parents were somehow charmed by my father, and they made the suggestion of an arranged marriage between him and their eldest daughter, my mother. It was quite the surprise to both my father and his parents. You see, my father is…" Shizuru seemed to struggle for the best way to explain her father, "…not very Japanese," she settled on begrudgingly.

Feeling her input was required at this point, Natsuki piped up between bites, "How so?"

Shizuru paused for a moment to consider this. "Well, he picked up a lot of American values from his father, along with some other characteristics that I think it's best you see for yourself when I take you to meet him." Before Natsuki could protest this plan, Shizuru quickly continued, "But the result was that he never had much luck with Japanese girls. He was also the hopeless romantic sort, and so when this opportunity came up, he convinced both his parents and my mother to give things a chance between them. If the relationship worked out, great, if not, they didn't really need to worry about the arranged marriage in any case; it was simply a suggestion to help cement the merger, rather than a requirement.

"Well, as you can probably guess, my father eventually was able to win over my mother's heart. To my mother's surprise, he was actually quite the charmer. His biggest problem was simply that he'd never had a girl give him a chance before her. Too many parents were frightened of a half-American oddball like him and chased him off."

By this time, Natsuki had finished up her final slice of pizza, though Shizuru had spent more time talking and was thus only halfway done. She stepped in at this point and inquired, "So what about your mother, then? What's she like?"

"For the most part, she's what you'd expect of a traditional Kyoto lady," Shizuru said, causing a picture of an aged Shizuru to flash through Natsuki's mind. "She has a younger brother and sister, and they're more the wild ones of the family, so she settled into being the mature, responsible one. I think she secretly always wished she were as carefree as her siblings, and maybe that's part of what drew her to my father. He was able to bring some of that out in her over time, as well.

"Anyways, you were wondering about how I ended up with the Fujino name," Shizuru said, after taking a short break to finish up her third slice of pizza. Natsuki nodded at this, and after taking a first bite of her final piece, Shizuru continued, "Well, my father really wanted to impress my mother's parents – not realizing that he'd already done quite enough by helping to bring my mother out of her shell a little – and he brought up an old tradition where if the husband in a marriage were from a lower-class family, he would take his wife's name. My mother was too flattered to object, and her parents couldn't talk him out of it, so that's how we ended up being the Fujinos."

"What a nice story you have," Natsuki idly commented as her thoughts drifted to her own situation. She'd been quite literally sold out by her mother – if she could trust Smith, which was more than a little doubtful – and then all but abandoned by her father. Maybe it would be a bit better if she decided to trust her mother's love over Smith, but she was still dead in any case. "I wish I had a family like that…" she sighed.

"You could," Shizuru said, snapping her out of her reverie. She immediately started to look embarrassed about what she'd said, and she didn't offer anything more as she finished up her last slice of pizza.

"What? What do you mean?" Natsuki pressed.

"I'm sorry," Shizuru said. Her eyes were downcast, avoiding Natsuki's gaze. It was quite unusual to see the girl acting like this. "I'm getting ahead of myself. It's just, I was thinking… I know my parents would really love you."

Natsuki was stunned by this for a good minute. Multiple thoughts raced through her mind, including fear at the prospect of meeting Shizuru's parents, fear of what she and Shizuru would have to do to make her legitimately a part of their family, and surprisingly a little disappointment that the current Japanese laws wouldn't allow it. But there was something tempting about the prospect, and seeing Shizuru's discomfort at having said this, she decided to choose this point to tell Shizuru. "It would be nice to have a family, I guess," she said, giving a soft sigh. "I don't even have Duran anymore now…"

Natsuki was pleased to see relief course through Shizuru's expression. She thought she caught that mischievous glint for a moment, but if it was there, it was quickly suppressed. "Thank you, Natsuki," Shizuru said. She was apparently well aware that Natsuki had chosen those words for her benefit. A slight frown then appeared on her face as she said, "Ara, I guess now's as good a time as any to tell you, but my mother's coming up to visit me on Thursday, so I won't be able to spend time with you then."

"Oh," Natsuki said. She could feel herself deflating at this news, but she didn't bother hiding her disappointment from Shizuru. She could find something to do… probably. She did have other friends who might be available.

"I'm sorry," Shizuru said, only slightly relieving Natsuki's disappointment. "There is one thing I did want to ask you relating to that, though," she continued tentatively. "I still haven't told anyone about our relationship, as you requested, and that includes my parents. In fact, they still don't even know that I prefer girls. With the way things are going between us, it really seems like it's about time I tell them at least that much, but I wanted to make sure you were okay with it."

She couldn't put her finger on the why of it, but Natsuki felt a blush forming on her face at this. It was something about the way Shizuru was acting, possibly, like a scared little girl worried about what her parents thought. A wave of warmth rushed through Natsuki at the realization that Shizuru was willing to reveal this weaker side of herself to her. Allowing a small smile to form on her face, she got up from her chair and walked over to Shizuru, forgetting all about the fact that her feet were supposed to hurt.

When she reached the girl, Natsuki knelt down and wrapped her in a hug. "Of course I'm okay with you telling them, Shizuru," she whispered into her girlfriend's ear. "I don't know why you might think I'd have a problem with that."

"Thank you, Natsuki," Shizuru said, still a bit hesitant. "It's just that, there's a chance it might lead to questions of if I'm seeing anyone, and I wouldn't want to lie."

"Oh," Natsuki said, considering this for a minute. "Well, I guess I don't mind if you tell your mother about me, if this is that important to you." She gave Shizuru her most encouraging smile, and she saw her friend's face light up from her permission.

"Natsuki is too sweet," Shizuru said, her voice almost breaking. Before Natsuki could even start to blush, she leaned in to punctuate this with a sweet kiss that made Natsuki forget what she was supposed to be embarrassed about.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, I had to get to Shizuru's family sooner or later, and the opportunity to talk about them presented itself here. I tried to divide up a lot of Shizuru's traits between her parents and added some extra flair to them on top of that. Hope you like what I've come up with, and I hope you'll like my take on them when they eventually show up.

Also, if anyone reading this doesn't know about it, I've got the first chapter now up of a collaboration fic which I've coauthored with centauri2002, "Ascension." Go check it out if you haven't already; she posted it, so you wouldn't have gotten any Author Alerts from my side (that is, assuming anyone exists who's alerted me and not her). I'll be working on my part of the second chapter of that next, so the third chapter of this might take some extra time to get out, so you're warned.


	3. Shizuru's Trap

**Datclaimer:**I own the word "contraneoantidisestablishmentarianistically." This means that if you're capable of figuring out what the hell it means, you owe me one review.

**Author's Note: **Unfortunately, centauri2002, who usually betas my work, is particularly busy these days, so she wasn't able to help out here. Fortunately, it seems that she had herself cloned at some point when she was still a single cell and it wasn't so difficult, and her twin was quite willing to beta this for me. So, much thanks to kheprinmatu for filling in here!

As for the content of this chapter… all I'm going to say this time is that if you guys are impatient for Friday in the story to roll around, imagine how Shizuru feels. Oh, and don't worry about the geometry terminology if you don't get it; it's not really relevant to the main plot.

* * *

**Title:**Perchance to Dream

**Rating:**M

**Chapter 3:** Shizuru's Trap

* * *

_Ugh, I can be such an idiot sometimes. I really should have thrown out that idea of asking you to help me study for my Geometry quiz, but no, I had to have an excuse to get together with you tomorrow. I know you would have happily __gotten together with me for no other reason than to be with me, but I couldn't just ask that. It was embarrassing, I guess, though it really shouldn't be._

_So instead of mildly embarrassing myself, I ended up being dishonest with you. Well, it's not like I actually lied. All I really said was that I had a quiz Friday, and it would be nice if you could help me study for it. That's true, but it's still not being completely honest. Saying it like that implies that I need your help with studying, when I'm really just using this as a thin excuse to see you._

_I kind of wish you'd been able to see through that excuse and had given me a coy tease about it. But from all I could tell, you believed me. I'm glad you trust me so much, Shizuru, and I really wish I weren't taking advantage of it like this. I should really just call you up and explain that I don't need your help, and I just wanted to see you, but I don't have the courage. Why do I have to be such a coward when it comes to things like this?_

_I'm sorry, Shizuru. I'll try to come clean as soon as I see you tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be easier if I don't have to call you up first to do it. I'm sure you'll come up with some big tease or "punishment" for me, but I deserve it. Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of this, though. I know you won't really care if I tell you the truth about this, and even if you found out on your own that I wasn't completely honest it probably wouldn't bother you. But I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me. Probably just me being silly again. Don't worry too much about it._

* * *

Something immediately struck Natsuki as wrong when she walked into Shizuru's house. Shizuru hadn't come to the door for her when she'd rung the doorbell, only yelling out to tell her it was unlocked and she could come in to meet her in the kitchen, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with that. It seemed just like something Shizuru would do to set her up for a surprise hug as she walked through the door. _Oh. That's probably it then. I must have gotten so used to her jumping me when I got home that it seems wrong when she doesn't._

The realization didn't do much to soothe Natsuki's feeling of unease, though. She shifted awkwardly in her spot by the door, unsure of what she wanted. She could admit to herself that she enjoyed hugging Shizuru, but could she really start to miss them? No, she was stronger than that. Right? Natsuki shook her head to try to rid herself of those thoughts, and she kicked her shoes off and headed to Shizuru's kitchen.

_Alright, I have to confess to her now,_ Natsuki thought as she entered the kitchen. _I have to… oh boy…_ Natsuki's thoughts trailed off as she passed the doorway and caught sight of Shizuru. She was sitting at the table, across from Natsuki, calmly sipping a cup of tea, but none of that was what had surprised the other girl. Shizuru had apparently really gotten into this tutoring thing, as she'd dressed up in her old kaichou uniform with the added accessory of a pair of glasses, making her look quite professorial. In front of her, she had out a geometry textbook, some paper, pencils, and a calculator.

_Damn it, why do you have to make this confession so difficult, Shizuru? Did you figure it out and decide to do this just to torture me? Well fine, two can play at that game then. If you really want to play teacher, I'll play student for you and we'll see who blinks first._ Natsuki covered up her racing thoughts with a shy smile as she pulled a chair out and sat down across from Shizuru. "Er… hi, Shizuru," she said.

"Ara?" Shizuru said, raising an eyebrow. Her tone of voice seemed a bit different from usual, as if she were putting on a "teacher" accent on top of her usual voice. "It certainly took Natsuki a while to make it to the kitchen. Did she get lost on the way here?"

"Baka," Natsuki spat with a joking glare. "You can see the door to the kitchen from the entrance. There was nothing to find."

Shizuru's other eyebrow raised to join its partner. "Ara ara, is that any way to talk to your teacher? I should punish you for your insolence."

Natsuki scrambled to recover. She didn't want to even start thinking about what Shizuru might have in mind for a punishment. "I'm sorry. Please forgive me, Fujino-sensei," Natsuki said hastily as she stood up to take a bow before Shizuru.

"Hmm, well I guess I can let you off with a warning this one time," Shizuru said, allowing her eyebrows to relax. "You may take a seat, Kuga-san." As Natsuki did so, Shizuru picked up the first sheet of paper from her stack, turned it around, and handed it to her. "Let's start with simple shape identification, shall we? I've drawn out six quadrilaterals for you here. For each of them, I want you to give me the most specific type it fits into. If you have some trouble here, then we can work further on this area."

"Alright," Natsuki said as she took the piece of paper. The shapes on it were hand-drawn, but they might as well have been printed for how precise Shizuru's drawings were. Of course, by this point, it was hardly a surprise from her. She'd have to make a concerted effort if she wished to be sloppy in anything. Natsuki went over the figures one by one, leaving an extra pause between each identification to make it seem like she had to think a bit about it. "Let's see, that's a square obviously, and a rectangle there… a trapezoid… parallelogram… a kite, and a rhombus."

Natsuki put a hopeful look on her face as she looked up at Shizuru, finding a surprised but proud grin on her face. "Very good, Kuga-san," she said. "Particularly about catching the kite. My teacher never bothered with them when I took geometry, and then later sprung them on us in the quiz." Shizuru then reached up and removed her glasses. After she placed them down on the table, she rubbed her eyes for a moment. She then whispered to Natsuki in her regular voice, "These things give me a headache anyways. I haven't really needed them since I got laser surgery a couple years ago."

"Aha," Natsuki said with a little chuckle. "Don't worry, you still look quite professional without them."

"Good," Shizuru said. She straightened up and reverted back to her teacher voice. "Now, let's try something a bit more difficult." She passed the next sheet of paper to Natsuki, along with a pencil and the calculator. "Calculate the length of the third leg of this triangle."

With a nod to Shizuru, Natsuki took a look at the paper. A right triangle was drawn on it, with the lengths of the hypotenuse and one of the legs written in. _Well, this is simple enough,_ Natsuki thought to herself._But if I do too well, Shizuru might figure out that I don't really need her help if she hasn't already. Let's see, what might be a likely mistake here…? _After a few minutes of thought in coming up with a good mistake, Natsuki wrote down some equations and used the calculator to get her answer. "Alright, Shizuru," she said as she stared at her calculator. "I'm getting 29.84 blah blah, more decimals, for my answer."

Shizuru put on a disappointed expression, which had a hint of her pout in it, as if she were begging Natsuki to do better. "I'm sorry, Natsuki, but that's not correct. Can I see what you did so I can figure out where the problem is?" With a nod and a disappointed expression of her own, Natsuki handed the paper to Shizuru. "Ah, I see here. To get the answer here, you have to subtract the square of the leg's length, not add it."

"Oh? But I thought the rule was, 'The sum of the squares of the lengths of any two sides of a right triangle is equal to the square of the remaining side,'" Natsuki said, misquoting the law to justify her mistake.

"Ah, not quite," Shizuru said, a small grin forming on her face as she discovered Natsuki's error. "It's the sum of the squares of the shorter two sides, the leg, which equals the square of the longest side, the hypotenuse." Natsuki nodded at this, and Shizuru continued. "Think about it, this only really works for the longer side. You can prove that adding squares this way always gets a larger result."

"Ah, okay, I see," Natsuki said, giving Shizuru a smile. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks." Shizuru smiled back at her and… nothing. She sat there waiting expectantly for something for over a minute, until Natsuki finally relented and asked in exasperation, "What are you waiting for, Shizuru?"

Shizuru cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "Ara? Didn't Natsuki get the rules for our tutoring session?"

"Rules? What rules?" _Okay, she's definitely playing some game here, but what is it?_

"Oh, I guess you haven't checked your mail yet today," Shizuru said, a mischievous glint in her eye hinting that it probably wouldn't be in the mail in any case. "But ignorance of the rules is no excuse. You owe me one article of clothing for getting a question wrong."

"What!?" A blush rose to Natsuki's face as she figured out Shizuru's game. Thoughts telling her that as she knew geometry, she had nothing to worry about warred in her mind with the realization of how dirty Shizuru's mind could secretly be. A wave of nervous shivers coursed through her body as she started to worry about what else Shizuru might think up.

"Ara, but those are the rules," Shizuru said, putting on her best pout and puppy-dog eyes. "When you got the last question right, I took off my glasses, so now it's your turn. Are you really going to make your girlfriend spend a week in torture waiting to pleasure you back without even giving her the slightest chance at some fun in the meantime? Ikezu." Shizuru punctuated this with a sad sniff.

Pain rushed through Natsuki's chest at seeing Shizuru like this. She'd figured at first it was mostly an act, but her words made it seem like she might actually be serious about the 'spending a week in torture' part. With a sigh, Natsuki gave in. "You could have just told me you were feeling like this, Shizuru," she said, making sure her tone of voice would make it clear she was relenting.

Shizuru immediately perked up, though Natsuki noticed a hint of moisture in her eyes as the light flashed across them. "But that wouldn't be so fun!" she said with a giggle. "Now come on, I want to see my Natsuki!"

With a sigh, Natsuki scooted her chair back and reached down. She peeled off a sock and brought it back up to hand to Shizuru. "Satisfied?" she said.

"Very," Shizuru took Natsuki's sock with a grin, carefully placing it on the counter behind her. "Shall we continue?"

"Er, a few questions first," Natsuki said. "Since I never got the rules, would you mind briefing me a little?"

"Of course," Shizuru said, a devious smile forming on her face.

_How do I know I'm going to dread these rules, even if I win?_ Natsuki thought. "Okay, first of all… how far does this go?"

"All the way," Shizuru said simply. As soon as the thought that one of them would have to end up naked caused a blush to form in Natsuki's face, Shizuru added, "And then a little further," causing Natsuki's face to quickly turn purple. "At the end, the winner gets to do what they'd like to with the loser's body."

Natsuki sunk into her seat as she brought up her hands to try to cover her blush. _Damn it Shizuru. You've got this all planned out, haven't you? However this ends up, you're going to win, aren't you? And I'm… I'm… ugh, I'm really not ready for my first time to be tonight. I'll have to "win," but would you really make me go through with it if I lost?_

"Shizuru…" Natsuki said hesitantly, allowing her eyes to peak above her hands just a little. "If you win… are you really going to do this today?"

Shizuru gave Natsuki a smile that made her blush and fear fade in an instant. There was no need for her to say anything beyond that reassurance, but she spoke nonetheless. "I would never make Natsuki do something she wasn't ready for," Shizuru said. "If I win, you can just owe me for later, okay?"

"Thank you, Shizuru," Natsuki said, as she sighed with relief and dropped her hands. _Good to know she's still considerate of my wishes. Maybe I'll have to reward her for that when this is over… Gah! What am I thinking? Er… Well, it's not like I haven't already done that to her…_ Natsuki shook her head vigorously to try to stop the rising blush, but this only resulted in her gaining an amused chuckle from Shizuru and her blush getting even worse as she was found out. "Can we just get back to the math?" she grumbled.

"Ara, is Natsuki that anxious to get rid of the rest of her clothes?" Shizuru said, barely repressing her laughter through this tease.

"Baka," Natsuki said. "I'm that anxious to rid _you_ of _your_ clothes!" Natsuki let a smile creep onto her face as her tease hit home and a pink tinge formed in Shizuru's cheeks. _Yes! I've finally managed to purposefully get her to blush! You're mine now, Shizuru._

"Perhaps it's best we get back to the math…" Shizuru said, and she handed the next paper to Natsuki, who was still allowing herself to grin like an idiot over her victory. Shizuru gave a glare to try to dissuade her, but Natsuki would have none of it.

As the tutoring session progressed, Natsuki found herself surprised with just how many little pieces Shizuru managed to find on her Kaichou uniform which she declared each counted as an article of clothing. She'd even taken to wearing her shoes inside to add to Natsuki's workload in disrobing her; something Natsuki had never known her to do before. She'd really put forth an effort to maximize her chance of winning, and it was almost a shame that it would be all for naught in the end. Mostly, though, Natsuki decided to let herself be proud that she was able to force Shizuru to fall into her own trap.

The force of her pride started to waver, however, when it became time for one of them to have to show some real skin. Both of them were down to just their shirts, shorts, and underwear, courtesy of some faked mistakes on Natsuki's part to keep the game a bit interesting. Natsuki's guilt over the fact that her little deception was leading her to win started to war with her modesty. It was a choice between revealing herself to Shizuru or taking advantage of the situation to make Shizuru reveal herself.

Natsuki tried to convince herself with the fact that she'd already seen all there was to see of Shizuru, and shown herself in just her underwear to Shizuru in the process, but it wasn't quite working. Her modesty was still up in full force, and it didn't show any sign of wavering without some physical contact from Shizuru to help get her in the mood. _I miss my hug…_ she thought with a pout. Had Shizuru denied her that on purpose to make her more uncomfortable?

But could Shizuru have even figured that out yet? It wasn't until just a minute ago that it had popped into Natsuki's mind that it was the physical contact she was missing to get into the mood. No, knowing Shizuru, she was probably trying to get her into the mood, and hoping that the sights alone would do it. She wouldn't purposefully try to simultaneously push Natsuki towards an encounter and keep her away from arousal; nothing would be served by that outside of making her extraordinarily uncomfortable.

Of course, even knowing that, trying to get this across to Shizuru was quite another matter. Natsuki wished she had the courage to simply say it, but the woman's teasing nature scared her off – at least until she was obviously uncomfortable enough that she could be confident Shizuru wouldn't be cruel enough to make her more so. But she had to say something; she was starting to wilt under Shizuru's gaze as she pondered the decision of whether or not to give the correct answer to this problem.

With a sigh, Natsuki decided to go with a confession that was, at the least, marginally less embarrassing to talk about. It would still hopefully serve to get her out of this. "Shizuru," she said, earning a cocked eyebrow from the girl who had apparently started to worry about how long this problem was taking her. "I don't really need your help on Geometry. I learned it all last year… I just needed an excuse to see you today."

Natsuki broke eye contact with Shizuru as she felt a slight blush rising to her cheeks. It was probably coming in anticipation of however Shizuru would tease her about this. As Natsuki heard a chuckle coming from Shizuru, it deepened in further anticipation, as she knew it was going to be a big one.

"Ara ara, Natsuki," Shizuru said, a devious tone to her voice. "That's a very nice try, but I'm not going to let you out of this that easily. You're here to the end, win or lose."

Natsuki groaned at Shizuru's response. How had she managed to simultaneously tease Natsuki about this, force her to keep going, and still somehow keep her in the dark as to whether or not she'd already known that Natsuki didn't need help? The woman's ability to tease was inhuman.

"Fine," Natsuki said as she slammed her pencil down on the table and looked back up at Shizuru. "Have it your way. The area's 28, but you really don't have to take anything off if you don't want to…"

Shizuru's expression was unreadable as her hands dipped below the table. They slowly – far too slowly – came back up, pulling up her blouse. Shizuru's bare abdomen was revealed to Natsuki first, followed soon by the revelation that she was wearing a lacy black bra which seemed to perfectly emphasize the swell of her breasts. Natsuki felt a furious blush rise to her face as she brought her hands up to her eyes to shield herself from the sight. A flicker of arousal was trying to make itself heard in her mind, but her discomfort and embarrassment easily overwhelmed it.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru's voice made Natsuki drop her hands to peek back at the girl. Her tone was full of worry, and this showed through on her face as well. "Are you okay? I thought you'd enjoy seeing me. You certainly seemed to on Saturday…"

_Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ Natsuki cursed silently to herself. She was really starting to make Shizuru worry now, and the last thing she wanted was for her girlfriend to start having doubts about their relationship. She couldn't bear letting her go through that pain again.

The words to reassure her just weren't coming to her, though, so Natsuki decided to simply act on instinct. She pushed her chair back from the table and got up. She walked around the table to the stunned and worried Shizuru, knelt down, and wrapped her in a hug. "You forgot to give me one of these when I came in," she said as she rested her head between Shizuru's cheek and her shoulder.

Shizuru's bare skin was initially a bit cool, but it warmed up quickly as a blush came to her. Her arms quickly made their way around Natsuki, giving her the hug she'd gone far too long without. "Ara, I'm sorry Natsuki," Shizuru said. "I didn't realize this meant so much to you. Usually sight alone is enough for me."

Natsuki couldn't think of anything to say in response to this, so she simply remained in the hug. Feeling Shizuru hold her did wonders to help ease her discomfort, and it wasn't long before she was able to let her mind touch on the fact that her girlfriend was about to disrobe for her without blushing horribly. When she felt she was sufficiently steeled to get through it, Natsuki gently backed out of the hug and returned to her seat.

"I think I'm good to continue now," she said, giving Shizuru a smile to let her know that she was alright now.

"Ara, I think a little modification to the rules might be necessary," Shizuru said, moving her finger to her chin in a thinking pose. "How about this: Whenever Natsuki gets a question right, in addition to removing an article of clothing, I'll allow her some intimate contact. With each piece removed, it'll get a bit more intimate. If she can get the last piece off of me, she of course can have whatever she wants. Sound good?"

Natsuki allowed herself to chuckle lightly at Shizuru's insight and how she'd modified the rules for her benefit. With a smile creeping across her face, she said, "Yeah, I think I like those rules."

"Good," Shizuru said as her face lit up. "Now let's get back to the math before I have to punish you for looking at your sensei improperly."

A blush rose on Natsuki's face as Shizuru passed her the next sheet._This woman just never gives up…_ "Yes, Fujino-sensei," she said. Natsuki inspected the sheet Shizuru had handed to her. It was another area calculation, of rhombus this time. A quick multiplication of the diagonals and a division by two gave her the answer. "15. Now where's that intimate contact you promised me?"

Shizuru chuckled as she stood up from the chair and walked around to Natsuki. After her brief moment of worry, it was refreshing to see one of her genuine smiles back on her face. She was certainly enjoying this game, even if she knew ahead of time she was bound to lose. "How about Natsuki starts by removing my skirt herself?" she said. She'd made an effort to keep a steady, teasing tone to her voice, but her control was starting to slip and let some of her internal giddiness through.

"Of course, Fujino-sensei," Natsuki said, playing the role of Shizuru's obedient student. She threw strict obedience to the winds, however, when she kneeled in front of Shizuru and placed her hands on her girlfriend's sides, above her skirt. The presence of Natsuki's hand right over the spot where Shizuru's HiME mark had been prompted a sharp gasp of pleasure and a blush from the woman.

With a chuckle, Natsuki dragged her fingers down, eliciting another gasp as the fingertips of her right hand once again passed over that spot. They caught onto Shizuru's skirt and slowly pulled it down off of her legs, revealing a pair of lacy black panties to match her bra. They were somewhat transparent on the sides, with a more opaque covering for decency's sake in the center. There was nothing decent, however, about the spot of wetness in the center of them that caught Natsuki's eye.

"I see someone's enjoying herself," Natsuki teased as she stood back up to meet Shizuru's face. A delightful pink tinge had formed in her cheeks, but Natsuki didn't allow herself to take a pause to relish it, as she knew Shizuru would turn the tease back on her given an extra second of opportunity. To keep her from doing this, Natsuki quickly leaned in to envelop Shizuru's lips with her own. Her arms made their way around Shizuru's back, and her hands came up to hold Shizuru's head so she couldn't break free to tease.

All Shizuru was able to manage was a brief chuckle before her lips relaxed into Natsuki's kiss. Natsuki didn't let her do much at first, her own lips dominating the rhythm, enveloping Shizuru's and closing in repeatedly, reminding herself of a fish trying to eat Shizuru's mouth. When Shizuru seemed to be getting a bit put off by not being able to do anything in response, Natsuki stayed her lips to give her a chance to catch up.

Shizuru started playing the same game with Natsuki's lips for bit, though it wasn't long before she gave it up in favor of a more mutual rhythm. Natsuki took this chance to try to take in as much of Shizuru's taste as she could, sucking on her lips when given the opportunity and bringing out her tongue to lick along them. Her lipstick was a quite pleasant cherry, and Natsuki was sure she could taste a trace of green tea left over in her mouth. She felt herself starting to fall into a haze of desire as Shizuru's taste registered in her mind and she thought about how she was taking in the woman's essence.

Shizuru seemed to find the feeling of Natsuki's tongue tracing along her lips to be quite enjoyable, and Natsuki could feel her body starting to relax in her arms. Caring arms came up around her back to cradle her, and Shizuru's lips opened up slowly, begging Natsuki to enter. She eagerly obliged, slipping her tongue through the opening provided and allowing it to sweep along its partner, which it found inside. The taste of Shizuru was even stronger there, and a bolt of pleasure shot down through Natsuki's torso at experiencing it, eventually pooling in a warmth in her nether regions.

The thought suddenly struck Natsuki's mind that she was likely now making her panties as wet as Shizuru's were, and the sudden chuckle broke her out of the kiss. Shizuru took an extra moment to recover from the haze and pull back, but she gave Natsuki a quizzical gaze when she did. "Ara, now what's so funny, Natsuki?"

Quickly coming up with an alternative to the real reason she'd started chuckling, Natsuki said, "Do we really have to continue this game, Shizuru? I think we're both quite ready enough to go on to the next step." Only a few minutes ago, just thinking those words would have caused Natsuki to blush furiously. But now, Shizuru's intimate touch and taste had reawakened the courage she'd tapped into the past Saturday to give her girlfriend the pleasure she so desired, and the only thing she currently had trouble with was holding herself back from tearing off Shizuru's last remaining garments.

Shizuru considered this for a moment, backing out of Natsuki's hug and towards her seat. "Hmm… I still kind of want to play this to the end, but I guess we could speed things up a bit. One more question, sudden death. Winner take all."

"Hehe, alright," Natsuki said as she allowed herself to sit back down and tried not to stare too much at the sight of Shizuru only in her skimpy lingerie. "You'd better hope I win, though, with what I've got in mind for you."

"Don't worry," Shizuru said as she sat down. "I have confidence in Natsuki's intelligence. But I may still give her the chance in any case, as a favor for me letting her put off her own reward until Friday. To keep things interesting, though, I've got a special problem prepared for you." Shizuru shuffled through the stack of papers, eventually pulling out the one at the bottom of the stack and giving it to Natsuki.

Natsuki took the paper and read the question that was written out on it: "A regular polygon has 11 sides, all of the same length, and all angles between sides are the same. The distance from its center to any of the corners is 5. Calculate the area." They'd covered regular polygons for a bit in the class she'd taken the past year, though her summer course hadn't even touched on them yet. Still, it would theoretically be possible for her to get it using just the knowledge from her class so far, though it would take some work.

It took Natsuki a few minutes of intensive work to get through the problem, as she tried not to let her mind drift to Shizuru and what she wanted to do to her too much. Eventually, she got to an answer. Part of her wanted to double check and make sure it was right so she didn't end up owing her body to Shizuru later, but she was just too impatient to care anymore. "74.34 or so, now can we please get on with this?"

"Ara ara, Natsuki is so impatient," Shizuru said. She then gave a dramatic sigh. "But, she is right, so I guess she can have what she wants now."

A grin split across Natsuki's face and she eagerly eyed up her prize. "Good. Now where's your bedroom?"

Shizuru pointed to the door behind her shoulder as a pink tinge spread across her cheeks. "To the left, end of the hall." Her voice was steady, but her terse word choice clued Natsuki into the fact that she was just as impatient as she'd accused Natsuki of being.

Deciding not to keep her waiting any longer, Natsuki got up from her table and approached Shizuru, who was just a bit slower on her rise. As soon as Shizuru was standing, Natsuki slipped her arms over her shoulders and pulled her in. As their lips met in a tender, barely controlled kiss, Natsuki started pushing Shizuru backwards towards her bedroom.

The kiss didn't stay innocent for very long. Natsuki tried to take it slowly and work up as she had before, but she ended up spending less than a second working her tongue across Shizuru's lips before they cracked open and sucked her in. She could have held her tongue back against Shizuru's suction, but she didn't have the will left in her to take it slowly any longer.

As Shizuru started to play with her tongue, Natsuki allowed her arms to drift down to find the clasp of her bra. She wanted to take the chance to explore her lover's entire body this time. Teasing her through the bra had been fun the last time, but the extended game had provided enough of an elongated teasing session for both of them that she felt comfortable sparing her lover that particular torment… this time, at least.

Shizuru let out a soft moan as Natsuki unhooked her bra, and she moved back just enough so that Natsuki could slip it off her arms, where it was dumped unceremoniously on the floor. As soon as it was off, Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's neck to hold her in while Natsuki's hands were occupied with her newly-revealed mounds.

Natsuki resumed her kiss with her lover and allowed her hands a chance to feel up Shizuru's breasts. The woman had truly been blessed in this department, and Natsuki could barely cover the entire orbs up with her hands. She made do by rubbing and squeezing as much as she could grip at a time while slowly working her hands around to make sure no portion of them was left unsatisfied. Shizuru let out a throaty moan into Natsuki's mouth as her ministrations started to fuel her passion.

Noticing out of the corner of her eye that they'd made it to Shizuru's bedroom and Shizuru's bed – queen sized, just perfect for the two of them – was right behind her, Natsuki suddenly pushed her hands out against Shizuru's breasts. With a yelp of surprise, Shizuru fell back onto her bed, delighting Natsuki with the cute way her breasts jiggled when she landed.

Shizuru gave a high-pitched giggle at Natsuki's dominant behavior, which Natsuki returned with a lustful grin. She bent down and gripped the waistband of Shizuru's panties, noticing that the center of it was now soaked almost to the point of transparency. She slowly pulled them off of her lover. The previous time she'd done this, she'd kept eye contact with Shizuru so she could connect with the soul of her girlfriend on her first time exposing her, but this time she allowed her eyes to stick to the prize she was unveiling.

A cleanly-trimmed tuft of chestnut hair came into view above the waistband, and Natsuki paused her descent for a moment. She moved her right hand up to lightly stroke through the curls, finding them to be even softer than the mane of hair on Shizuru's head she so adored. She pressed her hand in a bit harder so that Shizuru could feel her strokes, and a pleased purr from her lover let her know that the gesture was quite appreciated.

Reluctantly removing her hand from the mound, Natsuki returned it to Shizuru's waistband so she could expose the rest of her womanhood. A pair of glistening lips quickly came into view, sending a surge of desire down through Natsuki's own body. Shizuru's legs were tightly closed to facilitate the removal of her panties, so the view wasn't quite as good as Natsuki would have liked, but she'd be able to get to that soon enough. Once she was able to see all she could for the moment, Natsuki abandoned the slow, teasing pace and quickly pulled Shizuru's panties down and off of her legs.

As her legs were freed, Shizuru pulled farther up onto the bed so she could rest her head on the pillow and Natsuki would have enough room on the bed. Natsuki stood back up and took a chance to look over Shizuru's display. The sight of her girlfriend naked and willing, splayed out on her bed stirred a fierce desire within Natsuki. "See something you like?" Shizuru teased, having spotted the look on Natsuki's face.

"Do I ever," Natsuki said, deflecting the tease and bringing a slight blush to Shizuru's cheeks. The girl might not be prone to the full-face blushes that Natsuki was, but the little ones she did get were too cute for Natsuki to resist. She really needed to work on her teasing so she'd be able to elicit them more reliably. Fortunately, she had a master on hand to learn from.

But that could wait. For now, she had a mission. The objective: make Shizuru writhe in pleasure. To begin her mission, she crawled up onto the bed, straddling Shizuru. As she reached her face, she caught Shizuru's eyes in her own and allowed herself to fall into those deep crimson pools as her head drifted down. Her lips met her love's in a tender kiss, and she inhaled Shizuru's sweet scent as she fell into a maelstrom of all the sensations the girl provided her.

It didn't take long for Shizuru's arms to find their way around Natsuki's back. Even in her haze of desire, Shizuru seemed to be making an effort to help make her girlfriend comfortable, knowing that Natsuki just couldn't resist a good hug. Even though Natsuki was well past the point where she needed any reassurance that she wanted this, the sweet gesture still managed to send a wave of warmth through her chest. She allowed herself to let out a purr against Shizuru's lips, while making a silent vow that she'd manage to get that and much more back from her.

Natsuki gently stroked her tongue across Shizuru's lips, absorbing her taste while requesting entry. This was quickly provided, and her tongue immediately met its partner in crime on the other side. Shizuru's tongue slipped past hers and back into Natsuki's mouth, bringing along the sweet taste of green tea that seemed to have made a permanent home for itself in Shizuru's mouth.

As her tongue danced with Shizuru's, Natsuki shifted her weight to allow her right hand the freedom to drift down to Shizuru's chest where it once again met her breast. She decided not to torture Shizuru too much by teasing around, so she started off by giving her nipple a good pinch. This got a sharp yelp from Shizuru which softened into a moan as Natsuki pressed in on the nub and started massaging the tender flesh.

Shizuru's yelp and moan had caused her tongue to withdraw from Natsuki's mouth, so the girl took this opportunity to bring her mouth down to attend to more intimate portions of Shizuru's body. Her right hand released its grip on Shizuru's breast to allow her mouth access, while her left moved in to take care of Shizuru's lonely right breast. She spent only a couple seconds circling the breast with kisses before she enveloped the nipple within her mouth. As she sucked in on it, she used her tongue to circle the inflamed areola and playfully flicked at the nipple. Shizuru's breasts seemed to have a taste all of their own, and Natsuki added it to her mental list of all the sensations that made up Shizuru.

As the series of moans from Shizuru let Natsuki know that she was ready for more, she brought her right hand down to meet the sensitive spot on Shizuru's side. The initial contact brought out a gasp from Shizuru, as it never failed to do. Instead of rubbing it vigorously to drive her quickly to the heights of arousal, Natsuki lightly covered it with her hand and stroked it with only a slight pressure. She didn't want her lover getting too excited before the main course, though it might be fun sometime in the future to see just how far she could take things with that spot.

"Oh… Natsuki… please…" Shizuru moaned between a series of pants, and her arms gripped down more tightly on Natsuki. Taking a quick break from kissing her breast to take a peek at her face, Natsuki was quite pleased to see that Shizuru's face was now almost entirely flushed. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and Natsuki thought she could see a hint of moisture forming at the corners.

_What are you thinking about, Shizuru? Is it still that overwhelming for you to know that we're finally together and I'm doing all this for you? Well, let's see just how far we can push your emotions while you've opened up…_ Keeping her hands lightly massaging Shizuru's sensitive spots, Natsuki moved her face up to hover over Shizuru's. After a quick kiss, she whispered to her lover, "I really love you, Shizuru, and I love seeing you like this."

A soft moan came from Shizuru at this, and her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red. The sight of her face like this was truly arousing, and it was all Natsuki could do to hold herself back from tearing off her own clothes so she could ease her mounting tension. Fortunately, she was distracted from this by the sight of what she'd been waiting to see from Shizuru: tears leaking their way out of her eyes. With a grin, Natsuki moved in and used her tongue to gently lap up the tears. She added this salty taste to her mental list, leaving only one final taste left to be explored.

With one last tender kiss for Shizuru, Natsuki drifted down her body so she could enjoy the main course of the evening. A disappointed moan came from the girl as Natsuki left the reach of her arms and removed her hands from where they'd been caressing her. When Natsuki reached the foot of the bed, she reached her arms in between Shizuru's legs and pulled them apart. This seemed to break Shizuru out of her daze a little, as she opened her eyes to look down at Natsuki's position, her face hovering right over her womanhood.

Natsuki gave Shizuru a smile and a quick wink, then she let her mouth drift down to kiss Shizuru's more intimate set of lips. She could hear a moan coming from Shizuru, which she was able to extend as she took out her tongue to give her slit a nice, long lick. Shizuru's legs opened even wider at this contact, and with further prodding from Natsuki's tongue, her lips split apart to their precious contents, much like a flower blooming.

_Here goes,_ Natsuki thought to herself as she plunged in to explore Shizuru's center with her tongue. She lapped up the juices that were now gushing from Shizuru's depths, reveling in their sweet taste. As her tongue reached the top of Shizuru's slit and found a small nub nestled in the folds, the sharp jolt of pleasure caused Shizuru's hips to buck up and into Natsuki's face.

Deciding that Shizuru could do with some steadying, Natsuki slipped her right hand in under Shizuru's bum and grabbed a hold of the abundant flesh there. Judging by Shizuru's moan, she quite liked this feeling, so Natsuki decided to work her hand around a bit on it, much as she'd done with her breasts not long ago. To keep Shizuru held down, she then pressed her mouth over the top of her slit, allowing her tongue easy access to her lover's clit.

She prodded her tongue out to gently tap Shizuru's clit, but even the gentle contact caused Shizuru to buck her hips again. Natsuki's stronger hold allowed her to remain steadier this time, so she quickly followed this up by flicking Shizuru's clit again. She kept this up for a few minutes, each flick being met with a jerk from the girl, until Shizuru seemed to be bucking her hips in a steady rhythm to meet Natsuki's tongue each time.

Deciding to change the pace a little, Natsuki pressed her mouth in tighter, allowing her lips to wrap tightly around the small bundle of nerves as she sucked in. A deep moan from Shizuru let her know that this was appreciated. To finish off this round of ministrations, Natsuki tried one last thing. Opening her mouth up so she could get in as close as possible to Shizuru, she brought her teeth in and caught the swollen bud between them, biting down ever so softly. This got her a sharp gasp and a jerk of Shizuru's hips, followed by a mumbled, "Oh, Natsuki…"

Releasing Shizuru's clit from her bite, Natsuki gave it one last kiss before moving lower. She briefly teased Shizuru by allowing her tongue to trace a circle around her opening, but a frustrated groan from the girl gave her a pang in her heart that she couldn't resist. To satisfy her lover's needs, she quickly thrust her tongue as far into Shizuru's hole as it would fit.

The feeling of Shizuru's inner walls tightening around her tongue was heavenly. They soon relaxed, though, allowing Natsuki some freedom to explore around. She started by circling around inside, trying to feel up as much of the depths against as much of her tongue as possible. Shizuru soon caught on to her pattern, and she responded by rotating her hips in time with Natsuki to increase the pressure of the contact.

Natsuki could tell that Shizuru was getting close, as her breathing pace was rapidly increasing. To help push her over the final edge, Natsuki brought her tongue up to the top of Shizuru's hole and started slowly thrusting it in and out. On each thrust inside, she tried to reach it up and around as much as possible to see if she could hit that magic spot inside. She wasn't able to tell if she was quite hitting it, but Shizuru was getting enough out of her thrusts in any case.

Shizuru's gasps turned into moans as she started bucking her hips back into Natsuki's rhythm. Feeling the girl's response, Natsuki gradually picked up the pace. She spread her tongue out to fill up as much of Shizuru as possible, delighting in the taste and feeling of her inner depths. Soon enough, Shizuru's walls started contracting, and Natsuki could tell that she was about to climax. To push her over the final edge, she brought in her free left hand above her mouth. It took her less than a second to find Shizuru's swollen clit, and she gave it a good pinch, hoping the spark of pleasure would be just what Shizuru needed to ignite the blaze of her orgasm.

The sound of Shizuru's scream filled the room, and Natsuki's tongue was clamped down by Shizuru's contracting walls. As soon as the walls loosened up a little, Natsuki tasted fluids rushing down from within. She quickly lapped them all up, not allowing a drop the leak out. The motions of her tongue inside the girl caused further jolts of pleasure to course through Shizuru, judging by the repeated jerks of her walls and her sharp moans.

Eventually, Shizuru's moans settled into a low purr and her vaginal muscles started to relax. Natsuki took this as her cue to extricate herself from Shizuru's depths and come up to meet her lover again. She crawled back up the bed and laid down to the side of Shizuru. Her lover's face showed an expression of utter contentment, with a few extra trails of tears having formed.

Natsuki slipped an arm in under Shizuru and rolled her onto her side for a sweet kiss to close off the moment. Shizuru weakly responded to her, still a bit dazed from the experience. Her arms slowly made their own way around Natsuki to hold her close. Breaking from the kiss after a minute, Natsuki allowed her head to come to rest against Shizuru's. "I love you, Shizuru," she whispered. "Never doubt that."

"I love you too, Natsuki," the girl whispered back, her voice sweet and almost cracking.

They laid like that for many more minutes, just reveling in the contact with each other. Eventually, Natsuki took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Shizuru… if you want me now, I think I'm ready."

Natsuki couldn't see Shizuru's face, but she imagined a smile forming on it as the girl responded. "Thank you, Natsuki, but can you wait a couple more days? I want to make everything perfect for you then."

"What could be more perfect than this?" Natsuki asked. _I'm lying in the arms of my beautiful girlfriend, having just brought her to the heights of pleasure. I don't know how I could feel more in the mood, _she added silently.

"You'll see," was all Shizuru said in response. It was sufficient to send a wave of warmth through Natsuki's body, though, as she tried to imagine what the girl might have planned for her.

After a few more minutes of lying there, Natsuki's eyes drifted open. They landed on the small table beside Shizuru's bed, where a small clock displayed that it was almost time for them to be getting some dinner. Partially breaking from Shizuru's hug so she could roll over and check the other side, Natsuki decided that something was missing. "Um, Shizuru," she said. "You know that picture of us I keep by my bed?"

"Of course. Natsuki's so cute in it," Shizuru replied with a loving grin.

Feeling a small heat rise to her cheeks, Natsuki continued, "We need to get you a copy. I'll ask Chie later if she can print out another for us."

Shizuru's cheeks quickly reddened to mirror Natsuki's. She bent her head forward to give Natsuki a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Thank you, Natsuki," she said. "Though I hope soon enough we'll be able to get some new pictures taken of us as an official couple."

Natsuki allowed a little smile to tug at her lips. "Yeah, I guess that would be alright."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sometimes it feels more like the story writes itself than that I write it. Such was the case here. The development of how big a role touch plays in getting Natsuki in the mood was something that kind of developed on its own throughout this chapter. Well, who was I to second-guess what she was telling me? She ended up figuring it out at about the same time I did here.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll get the next one out for you guys as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the next chapter of Ascension will likely be delayed a bit until Caz can find some time in her schedule to work on it. This is one of the problems with collaborative fics; they're subject to delays on either end. Hopefully it'll be worth the wait though.


	4. A Mother's Love

**Datclaimer:** I'm at risk of running out of these mock disclaimers soon. Not yet, but soon.

**Author's Note: **I actually wasn't planning to this chapter quite yet, but a couple reviews changed my mind. Sorry to delay what I know you've all been waiting for, but hopefully last chapter will be able to tide you all over. I might also end up with some further delays, as I've got another special fic I want to work on for Shizuru's birthday (and another special occasion).

Once again, much thanks to kheprinmatu for betaing this to me!

* * *

**Title:**Perchance to Dream

**Rating:**M

**Chapter 4:** A Mother's Love

* * *

_Ara, Natsuki! It's been a while since I've written one of these letters, so I felt like giving those two words their own sentence to emphasize that I'm back to doing this now. I honestly didn't think I would be writing any more of these. My thoughts were that once we were in a relationship, I wouldn't have to go hiding my thoughts from you anymore, and I could just tell you everything to your face._

_Well, it turns out that's half true. I don't have to hide anything from you, but that doesn't mean I can simply tell you everything. I'm just not around you enough to tell you every little thought that pops through my head which you might be interested to know. You know, I don't really even need to qualify that sentence. I'm just not around you enough. It relates to this, yes, but so much more as well._

_I guess maybe I'm just impatient. However many steps we take in our relationship, it seems I'm always looking two or three ahead. Right now, I'm not only thinking about the step where I get to return the favor and bring you to your first orgasm (and I must say, I'm very touched that you've been saving that for me), but I'm also starting to think about having you move in with me. I've taken to cleaning up one of the spare bedrooms in my house and setting it up so you could live there in my spare time. Of course, I want us to be sleeping in the same bed eventually, but this might be a good way to ease you into things._

_I don't think I've ever been this happy before, Natsuki. Sure, there were a few individual moments that reached this level, like when I first realized that you could indeed love me as I loved you, and of course our first special night together passed this level. But this sustained level of happiness is something new to me. I thought I was in love with you before, but now that my love is returned, it feels like my feelings have risen to a new level._

_It's this feeling that's giving me the courage to come out to my mother. I'm so sure about our love, that it will be the easiest thing in the world to tell her about it and hopefully let her share in my happiness. After that's done, I'll just have to explain to her that it's with a girl. If I've already gotten her happy that I'm in love, it should be a lot harder for her to turn around and start to judge who I'm in love with._

_To be honest, I really don't know if that would be much of a problem to her in any case. She's a very traditional Japanese woman, and tradition does frown upon this sort of relationship. However, my father has slowly broken her of many of the sillier traditions over the years, so maybe she'd be open here. I've heard some stories about children being disowned by their parents when they came out, and I am a little worried, but I want to trust in my mother's love for me above any prejudices. I really don't see how parents could exist that could be that cruel to their children._

_Well, that's all that I want to say for now. I don't know what I'll do with this letter, really. I promised in the last one I wrote that I'd start your special evening as you finished reading it, so I can't slip this one in after that. Maybe I'll hang onto it for a while, and when I get you to move in, I can open up this and any other letters I've written for you to read. Well, I guess there's little point speculating about it here. When you're reading this, you'll already know. Hopefully I've come up with something good!_

_Your very happy girlfriend,_

_Shizuru_

* * *

"Ara ara, your tea-brewing abilities certainly have improved, Shi-chan," Shizuru's mother told her as she took a sip of the freshly brewed green tea. Shizuru wanted to complain about the overly-cutesy nickname, but she knew it wouldn't do any good, so she settled for simply rolling her eyes. The act didn't go unnoticed by her mother, though her only reaction was a slight twinkle in her eye that no one outside of the family would have caught.

"You say that as if I wasn't any good before, Mama," Shizuru replied. She searched her memories for when she'd last had tea with her mother. There were a few visits home in which her mother had made tea for them, but the last time she'd done so for her mother was a bit before she'd first left for Fuuka Gakuen. "I do believe that you quite praised my skills the last time I prepared tea for you."

"Just because you were good then doesn't mean there wasn't room to improve," her mother replied. She took another sip of her tea, allowing her enjoyment of it to show through on her face, perhaps exaggerating it a little for her daughter's sake. "Back then, you mimicked my style almost perfectly. You've expanded a lot since then, and you've come up with your own signature taste. I'm quite proud of you, you know."

Shizuru gave her mother a small smile as she took a last sip and finished up the tea in her cup. As she walked to the counter to refill her tea from the kettle, she replied, "Thank you Mama," with only a touch of embarrassment from her mother's praise. The woman didn't give out compliments lightly, so it was quite flattering to get it from her. She didn't feel like she really deserved it for her marginal improvement in tea-brewing skills, but she wasn't going to bother arguing. The woman could be as stubborn as a rock when she wanted to be.

"Not just for that, dear," her mother continued as Shizuru sat back down. "You've done so well for yourself here. In High School, you became Kaichou in a landslide victory, you were the most popular girl in school, and you graduated at the top of your class. You've also done quite a good job settling in here on your own, it looks like."

_Ara, Mama, none of that is what really matters, _Shizuru thought to herself in response to her mother's further praise. _I couldn't care less if I had any of that. Winning Natsuki's heart is the only victory I need in my life._ A smile formed on her face at the thought of her love despite her attempts to keep a stoic expression. "Thank you, Mama," was all she said in response, however.

As Shizuru peeked cautiously at her mother's eyes, she found them watching her with the precision of a hawk. Her mother's ability to pierce through her façade had unnerved her from an early age, and however much she worked up a mask to hide her emotions, it was never enough to keep her mother out. Sure enough, she was able to peer into Shizuru's thoughts now. "But there's something else, isn't there?" she said with a small smile tugging at her lips. "You've got something else you're truly proud of."

"Perceptive as always, Mama," Shizuru said, adding a little smile to her mask. She considered whether to go forward and tell her mother about Natsuki, but she decided to see what her mother might be able to deduce on her own.

"It's not that hard to figure out," her mother said. Shizuru caught a small twinkle in her eye which she identified as one of the indications of true happiness in her mother. "You've been practically glowing since I came through the door. You're either taking some drug, or you're madly in love, and I know I've taught you better than to do any drugs…"

A small warmth spread to Shizuru's cheeks as her mother was able to jump straight to the correct answer. Despite her best efforts, she was never able to hide anything from the woman. No point hiding back her giddiness any longer, then. She allowed a loving smile to creep across her face as her thoughts drifted to Natsuki and the fact that they were finally a couple. Allowing her happiness to show through in her eyes as they met her mother's, she said, "It's unbelievable, Mama. I've never felt this way before."

Shizuru felt a pang of pride as she saw her mother's face light up in happiness and one of her rare genuine smiles cross it. The happier she was for her daughter, the more likely she'd be able to take the news of just who her daughter was in love with well. "Isn't it? I felt just the same way with your father when he first won me over, and it's never quite faded away since." She leaned forward, a grin on her face that echoed the one Shizuru used whenever she was in one of her mischievous moods, and said, "So. Tell me about this boy."

_And there it is. _Shizuru figured her mother would have caught her slight flinch at the word "boy," but doubted her mind would jump to the correct answer. With a deep breath, she plunged in, "Well, first of all… it isn't a boy."

Shizuru held her breath in anticipation of her mother's response. The woman didn't seem to ("too") fazed by the news, however. After only a moment, a small smile struck her face. "Ah, of course. So he's a man then? That's nice. Boys can be too unreliable when it comes to matters of the heart."

Shizuru grimaced and sighed. Why did her mother have to force her to get this out twice? She steeled herself with another deep breath and made sure there could be no confusion this time. "No, Mama. It's not a man, either. The person who holds my heart, who's made me this happy, is a girl."

Her mother stared back blankly for a long period. The only reaction from her was a series of rapid blinks, though her eyelids soon slowed to their normal pace. After a torturous wait, eventually she replied with a simple, "Oh."

Shizuru tried to gauge her mother's state of mind, but the woman was a blank slate to her. But even if she couldn't read anything directly, she could still try to infer. If her mother were completely alright with this, she wouldn't have withdrawn and would have shown her support. On the other hand, if she were completely against this, she would have tried to deny it or yelled or something – she could be prone to fierce rages when angered. So, her state of mind must have been somewhere in the middle. _I think I can live with that. Even if she's leaning negative, there's a possibility of convincing her to accept this._

When nothing further seemed to be coming from her mother, Shizuru risked pressing her for more information on the state of her mind. "I hope you can understand, Mama, please…"

Her mother took a deep breath followed by a long sip of her tea. Eventually, she said, "So it's a girl who you're so deeply in love with that you're practically glowing with happiness?"

Shizuru suppressed a wave of happiness. It wouldn't do to seem overly cheerful at this comment, even though it did sound promising. She simply nodded in response, keeping her eyes respectfully lowered from her mother's.

Another deep breath from her mother. "Then I'm happy for you," she said, not without a trace of hesitance. "If this… condition allows you to be in love with someone who seems to be so perfect for you, then I'm happy for that as well."

It wasn't the most enlightened response possible, and she certainly still had some regrets about it, but she was trying to be okay with it and show that to her daughter. That was the part that really mattered. Shizuru let a smile cross her face to let her mother know that it was quite appreciated. "Thank you, Mama."

Her mother seemed to be trying to decide something for a moment, but she quickly broke out into a grin. "Oh, come here, Shi-chan," she motioned her arms out to her daughter, signaling that she intended to hug her. "I shouldn't let my petty concerns stop me from simply being happy for you."

Shizuru briefly thought of how long it had been since her mother had offered to hug her like that. It hadn't been since she'd first left to Fuuka. They'd just never had a chance in private on her previous visits, and she wasn't generally one for outward displays of emotion in any case. This all served to make it all the sweeter a gesture for her, and Shizuru certainly wasn't going to begrudge her that. She got up and moved around the table to allow her mother to grip her in a loving hug.

As she broke from the hug, her mother's last words finally sunk into Shizuru's mind. "Um, Mama," she said as she sat back down. "What concerns were you talking about?"

"Oh," her mother said, reverting her expression back to her usual mask as she took a sip of her tea. "Just about how society might treat you for this… This kind of thing still isn't very well accepted here, and…"

Shizuru nodded. She was aware of the potential issues, but she wasn't in much of a state of mind to care about them presently. Still, it seemed like her mother still had something else on her mind. "'And'…?" she prodded.

Another sigh, another sip of tea, another deep breath. "The day you were born, Shi-chan, was one of the happiest days of my life. Since you blossomed into a woman yourself, I've been hoping that you could experience that joy too, along with all the other joys that come from raising a child and seeing them mature. I guess you can see the problem this poses…"

_Is that a blush on her face?_ Shizuru stared at her mother's cheeks, but the pink tinge was gone, if it had ever been there in the first place. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind, Shizuru let her mind focus on what her mother had said. She'd never really considered having children herself; it seemed like she was still far too young. But if she ever did want to… then yes, there could be some problems.

Shizuru nodded at her mother. "Ara, I see what you mean, Mama," she said. "There are still options, though, I think. We could always adopt, or there's getting a sperm donor. Though I'm not really sure about that one; I couldn't imagine having that kind of connection with anyone other than Natsuki…"

Her mother shook her head, and she reached out a hand to grasp one of Shizuru's. "Don't worry about that, Shi-chan. That's just an old woman being a bit sentimental. You and 'Natsuki' can decide whatever you want to do yourselves in due time."

"Right," Shizuru said, bringing her other hand in to grasp her mother's. "Thank you, Mama."

"Now," her mother said, her demeanor perking up and a twinkle forming in her eye. "Tell me about Natsuki."

A smile split across Shizuru's face. "Ara ara… where to begin…?"

* * *

"…she finally came to realize the nature of her feelings and admitted that she loved me as well," Shizuru said, finishing her description of her relationship with Natsuki on her profession of love. She left out the little detail of what exactly Natsuki was doing to her when she made that confession, as her mother probably wouldn't appreciate hearing about that. "We've been an official couple since then, with all the giddiness that brings in me."

A smile had been steadily spreading across her mother's face throughout Shizuru's story. Perhaps she was still a bit uneasy with her daughter dating a girl, but she seemed to be getting over it if she was. "She certainly sounds like quite the girl," she said as her daughter finished up. She instinctively moved to take a sip of her tea, but her cup and the kettle had finally been drained. "For someone to be left on her own from such a young age and turn out so well, she must be very strong."

"It hasn't always been easy for her," Shizuru admitted, reflecting on her recent conversation with Natsuki over their date. "She still feels the pain of not having a family sometimes. But she is strong, yes, so she gets by."

Her mother gave a knowing smile. "I think you might have a big role in that as well, judging by what you've told me of your relationship with her. In any case, at this time, it would seem you're playing the role of the closest thing to family she's got."

Shizuru thought of what she'd told Natsuki about her parents possibly taking the girl in and acting as a surrogate family. It seemed all the more likely now. If her mother was this accepting of their relationship; her father would be a piece of cake. Of course, things wouldn't be able to move too quickly, but it was a nice future plan to work towards, and probably the closest thing to marriage she could get, barring a miraculous change in Japan's marriage laws. With this thought in mind, she smiled and gave her mother a nod.

Checking her watch, but more likely thinking of the empty teacup, her mother regretfully stood up from the table. "Ara, it seems I'd better be off so I can catch my train home. It's been quite a pleasure visiting you, Shi-chan."

"You too, Mama."

"Let me know when you'd like me to come up next. I'm really interested to meet this Natsuki of yours," she said. Her choice of words implied to Shizuru that she was asking her daughter to let her know when Natsuki was ready to meet her.

"Of course, Mama," Shizuru said, giving her mother a small smile. "I'm sure she'll enjoy meeting you as well." _After she gets past all of her usual, so cute nervousness about facing the prospect, that is._ Shizuru's smile involuntarily widened at the thought of a nervous Natsuki blushing from the thought of meeting her parents.

Her mother caught the motion, and even if she didn't know exactly what it meant, she acknowledged it with a quick wink. "I love you, Shi-chan," she said as she started heading out.

"I love you too, Mama."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, that's it for this chapter. I know it's a fair bit shorter than usual, but I'm pushing it out sooner to make up for it. You're still getting the same number of words per day, roughly. Besides, you wouldn't want me to put off the next chapter too long, would you? ;) 


	5. A Taste of Mayo

**Author's Note:** Thank you very much for all the great reviews, everyone. And thank you also for all your patience in getting to this point.

One little followup on last chapter: I'm aware that most fics which deal with the reaction of Shizuru's parents have at least one of them be against things, often because it adds a nice dramatic element. While there's nothing wrong with doing things that way, not all parents are going to freak out over something like this (though far too many do). Personally, I prefer to let the characters determine the story, rather than the other way around. The way I'd written up Shizuru's mother, this was how she'd react. Of course, things still aren't perfect; she still has concerns she isn't voicing because she simply wants to appear accepting for her daughter's sake, but there's time for that later. We can get into her other concerns and how Shizuru's father will react a few chapters down the road.

I'm going to warn you (and apologize) right here: I had to break this chapter up as it was getting way too long. So I won't quite be getting to the good stuff just yet. I'm sorry if I got anyone's hopes up at seeing the alert, but I assure you, that part will be out just as soon as it would have been had I decided not to split this up. This way, you just get the first half earlier.

Much thanks to kheprinmatu for her diligent betaing. I was a bit off for much of this, but most of you will have no idea of it, thanks to her.

* * *

**Title:**Perchance to Dream

**Rating:**M

**Chapter 5:** A Taste of Mayo

* * *

_I have a little confession to make, Shizuru. I've been having these dreams lately which I haven't been writing about in here. The reason was that I didn't know if you'd found this and were reading it, and I was afraid of what you might think if you found out about this. But I've decided today that it wouldn't really be so bad if you found out. I don't know exactly why I've come to that conclusion, but I just feel a bit closer to you after today. Maybe it's because you held yourself back from pleasuring me even when you didn't need to do so for my sake, but I can't say for sure._

_Well, anyways, the dreams. They start out with me waking up to find myself tied up in my bed. I can't figure out what's going on, and I'm terrified. My mind flashes back to all my other experiences with being tied up. Of course, none of them are very pleasurable, so you can imagine that I'm not too comfortable with the experience. Then, you come into the room, and you reveal that you're the one who's tied me up._

_Now of course, you don't have anything malicious in mind. You just want me, and this is just one of the many games your devious mind has come up with to spice things up. But with my discomfort with being tied up, I just can't do it__. I beg and plead with you to let me go, but you're deaf to my concerns. You try to start things up and get me in the mood. You kiss me, though I refuse to kiss you back. Eventually, I break into tears, and you finally give up._

_After that, you break down and plead for forgiveness. You're well… it's kind of hard to explain, but it's like there's this vision of you in my dreams that's kind of self-aware, and at this point in the dream, you get back to this state. You're no longer following the script of the nightmare, so you just console me and talk to me. We try to sort some things out that are going on in my mind. But despite all these efforts, the dreams haven't stopped. I've had them every night this week so far, and I'm afraid I'll have it again tonight._

_I guess the problem is that the root issue here hasn't really been resolved. I know that you probably want to do a lot of things to me, and I suspect that tying me up is one of them. I don't know why I think your mind is so dirty, but it's the sense I get. After your little game today, I'm even more sure that this sort of kinky stuff has occurred to you. And, to tell you the truth, I really want to be able to let you do those kinds of things to me. I have no idea if I'd enjoy them, but I want you to be able to. One of these days, maybe for your birthday, I want to be courageous enough to simply give myself to you, to be yours for whatever you might dream of doing._

_But right now, I'm afraid. There's no way I could do that without completely freaking out. It's hard enough getting up the courage to let you do anything of that sort to me. You got me to that point earlier today, and you'll probably be able to do that again on Friday. After that, maybe we can go a step further. I don't really know what the next step would be, but I'd really like to get over this particular fear, so… Damn. I'm sorry, but just considering it right now is too much for me. We'll have to work up to it a bit more. I hate to ask you to wait for me after all the waiting you've already done, but I'm afraid there's no other choice here. I may not be the perfect girlfriend for you now, but I'm going to try to get there, and I promise it will be worth the wait._

* * *

_Yeah… I had that dream again. I was hoping that the fact that I was now at least comfortable enough to write it down would also indicate that I wouldn't be haunted by those nightmares, but no such luck. At least the image of you in my mind was really sweet, though. She did quite a good job of calming me, and even gave me a little idea of how I might be able to resolve things. I won't say what it is, in case you're reading this, as I don't want you to get any clever ideas and take things into your own hands before I'm ready._

_Well anyways, I missed you today. It's the first day in almost a week I've gone without seeing you, and I can feel it. I guess I'll have to get used to it, though. Things are going to come up, and I can't expect you to be available to get together with me every single day. I wish you could, though…_

_You might not believe it, but I actually ended up hanging out with Nao today. I ran into her at lunch yesterday. It turns out that she's taking classes over the summer too. I'm not too surprised that she'd have to, but I am a bit surprised that she actually would. I tried to ask her about it (read: taunt it out of her), but she wouldn't budge. My guess is Yukariko-san had something to do with it._

_Anyways, we arranged to get together and just hang out after school today. After a brief argument on what to do, we ended up settling on going to the arcade. It was quite fun, to be honest, about as much fun as I could have without you. The shooting games there brought back some nice memories, too. Well, not really so nice, but it is good that I can use the skills I gained to have fun now that things have settled down._

_I don't know if I'll have a chance to write in my journal before then, so I guess I'll take this time to vent a bit about my concerns of what we're doing tomorrow night. I'm already nervous about things, but I'm trying not to think about it too much. I'm afraid I'll chicken out and ruin things. Though I guess I gave you permission to override my fears if you have to, so I don't really have the option of running off. It would still put a damper on things and possibly ruin the experience of my first time, though, if I tried to. I guess I'll just have to trust you to keep me calm and get me in the mood. You managed to do that last night, whether you were specifically going for that or not, so I guess you can probably do that again._

_Beyond all the fear though… I think I actually am looking forward to this. It'll help solidify our status as a couple when I'm able to give myself to you like this. And it should be fun and quite pleasurable too, judging by your reactions. I'll try to keep this in mind so I don't get afraid._

_I love you, Shizuru, and I want to let you show your love for me. I want to be yours._

* * *

Natsuki felt a pang of disappointment and let out a pout when she entered her dorm room and didn't immediately feel Shizuru's arms wrap around her in a surprise hug. Okay, maybe it wouldn't have been that much of a surprise; at this point, not feeling it was more surprising. But that wasn't the point. Shizuru was supposed to be there for her after school. She'd gone too long without being around the other girl, and now she had to wait longer?

_Wait, maybe this is her plan,_ Natsuki thought. _She pulled this trick at the karaoke party last week. She waited just long enough for me to start missing her before she came in. So maybe she's hiding somewhere waiting to ambush me. Well, two can play at that game._ Carefully, Natsuki began to sneak around her apartment, hoping to discover Shizuru lurking in a closet or behind some door and pounce on her before she was pounced on herself.

Her kitchen, sitting room, bathroom, and the closets attached to them all proved to be clear, after some careful snooping. This left only her bedroom, whose door Natsuki found to be closed. She wasn't one to normally bother with closing doors around her own dorm, so this stood out to her as a good sign that Shizuru was likely there. Readying herself for her girlfriend to come jumping out at her, Natsuki slowly opened the door.

When no assault was forthcoming, a wave of relief warred with disappointment in Natsuki's mind, eventually losing out. That was the last good chance for Shizuru to pop out on her, and no such luck there. It wasn't the last chance completely – there was still the closet in her bedroom and the corner of the room she couldn't see – but she didn't expect Shizuru to bother with one of those spots.

With a sigh, Natsuki entered her room to check out the last couple of spots, just in case. Her search was interrupted, however, when she spotted a gift-wrapped package sitting on her bed. _So that's what Shizuru was doing in here._ After a quick glance to ensure that Shizuru wasn't hiding in the corner of her room and using this gift to lull her into a false sense of security, Natsuki went over to her bed and sat down as she unwrapped the package.

Inside, she found a large bottle of what her suddenly excited stomach told her was mayonnaise and a handwritten note from Shizuru. Reluctantly putting the bottle aside for the time being, she unfolded the note and started to read.

_Ara, Natsuki, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to meet you when you got home from school. I came up with a really good idea this morning for something I could do for you tonight, but it required a few little supplies I didn't have on hand. I checked around a couple of nearby stores, but I couldn't find what I needed there. I was able to track down a store that had it on the internet, but it's rather far away, so I won't be able to make it there and back in time to catch you when you get home._

_Enclosed in this box is a bottle of mayonnaise I cooked up specially for you a bit ago. I've been saving it for a special occasion, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. I hope you'll try it out tonight with dinner, and I really hope you'll enjoy the little extra flair I put into it. I'll probably be back sometime around 7 or so, so be ready for me then. Maybe you could wear a little something special for me? I'll certainly be doing so for you._

Natsuki felt a blush rise to her face at Shizuru's last little hint in her letter. _What could she be planning?_ Her mind started to race and try to guess at everything Shizuru might have planned, but in the end, she just couldn't anticipate what might occur in her girlfriend's devious mind. With a sigh, she took her bottle of mayonnaise to the kitchen and tried to decide what she could make with it.

* * *

She hadn't expected it to be possible, having secured her dorm and propping a chair up against the door to ensure Shizuru would have to knock, but the girl still managed to catch Natsuki by surprise when she arrived. She even allowed Natsuki a moment of false victory when she knocked on the door and waited for it to be opened for her. It was then that she struck.

Natsuki had been prepared for an immediate hug from the girl. She hadn't been prepared for Shizuru's hands to dart out to her in the blink of an eye and pull her tightly up to the girl's body while Shizuru's mouth angled in to fit perfectly with hers. She let out a yelp of surprise at first, and then worry that someone might see them. It didn't take longer than a second for this to be pushed out of her mind by all the overwhelming sensations of Shizuru.

A small voice in the back of Natsuki's mind wondered if Shizuru had deliberately played up her usual perfume and lipstick for her sake. It certainly seemed more than usual, but maybe that was just because it had been some time since she'd last seen her. That little voice was soon drowned out by the rest of her mind, though, which was much less concerned with the "why" and more concerned with simply enjoying it all.

Natsuki relaxed into Shizuru's grip as she inhaled the other girl's essence. Her arms slowly moved around the other girl's body to pull her in even tighter, allowing her to delight in the pressure of her love's body pressed up against her own. Her thoughts briefly passed over the sensation of Shizuru's breasts pressed up against her own, already sending small jolts of pleasure through them, but the truly engrossing feeling was that of Shizuru's lips against her own.

The girl's lips had started out moving slowly and tentatively, in an odd contrast to her previous dominant behavior in rapidly pulling Natsuki into the kiss. As Natsuki fell into a daze from the sensations and started returning the kiss, Shizuru's lips gradually quickened their pace. Natsuki kept up easily, matching Shizuru's rhythm, and she let out a small chuckle into her lover's mouth at her considerate behavior.

Shizuru's tongue was the next to join the fun, as it came up and started tracing its way along Natsuki's lips, much as Natsuki had done to Shizuru during their encounter a couple days ago. With a soft moan, Natsuki opened up her lips to grant the tongue entry. The tongue poked its way through the small opening she provided… and then vanished, along with the pleasant sensation of Shizuru's lips.

"Ah?" Natsuki moaned in disappointment as she opened her eyes to look at Shizuru. The woman's face was completely unreadable, and she said nothing as she gave Natsuki a moment to regain her senses.

"Perhaps we should move inside," Shizuru suggested.

"Wha-?" Natsuki said. The meaning of the words was fighting against the dazed state of her mind, but it was losing out. All she wanted was to be absorbed into Shizuru in every way possible, and she couldn't figure out why the other girl wasn't letting her in.

"Ara, or would Natsuki prefer for anyone who comes down this hallway to be able to see us enjoying each other?" Shizuru teased. "I don't think I'd mind that. I quite like the idea of letting other people know of what a great girlfriend I have."

That got through to her. As her face lit up in embarrassment over how she'd fallen into the other girl's trap all too willingly – not that she regretted it in the slightest – Natsuki grabbed a hold over her body and pushed away from Shizuru and back into her dorm. She nearly stumbled over her own legs, which had lost all strength in the process of their kiss. "Baka!" she said as she regained her balance and crossed her arms, trying to sound annoyed but coming across more as amused.

Shizuru didn't bother hiding the amusement in her expression as she picked up a shopping bag from the floor and entered Natsuki's dorm. It was from a supermarket chain which stocked almost everything, so Natsuki wasn't able to infer any clues as to what Shizuru might have picked up for her. Without a word, Shizuru passed Natsuki and dropped the bag off in her bedroom. She didn't speak up as she returned, either. She simply stood in front of Natsuki with a very un-Shizuru-like grin splitting her face. Natsuki didn't think she could remember a time when she'd seen the girl displaying that much happiness.

"So what are you so giddy about?" Natsuki asked. She shifted her stance so she could lean against the wall across from Shizuru; her legs had yet to regain all of their strength.

"I'm going to get to make love to my girlfriend tonight," Shizuru replied simply. Her smile didn't budge an inch, and every bit of happiness on her face shone through in her voice.

"Baka!" Natsuki's felt her face dart straight past red and into purple at Shizuru's blunt statement of her intentions. _How is she capable of saying such things with a straight face?_

Defying all possibility, Shizuru's smile grew even wider. "Natsuki is so cute when she blushes." As if she wanted to be even cuter for Shizuru, Natsuki's blush deepened at this comment. "I can't wait to see how much she blushes when I-"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki cut the girl off. She didn't think she'd be able to take the blood-flow to her head that would result if she let Shizuru finish that sentence. "Are you trying to scare me off here?"

Shizuru's smile faltered. "Ara ara," she said as she approached Natsuki. She wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and gave her a quick kiss on the nose. "Forgive me, but I let myself get carried away with teasing you there. Tonight is supposed to be about you."

Natsuki sighed. Shizuru's touch and her kiss never failed to push away her worries. It was almost impossible to stay mad at the girl when she did this. "It's alright," she said.

Shizuru gave her a grin that would have broken down all of her resistance if it weren't already gone. "Thank you," she said. Unwrapping her arms from Natsuki, she moved to a nearby chair. "If Natsuki isn't too impatient to get on with things, there are a few things I'd like to talk about with her."

_Impatient? Try scared as hell. Any delay is fine by me, _Natsuki mused as she walked over to another chair and took a seat. "Fine by me. What did you want to talk about?"

"Yesterday," Shizuru said as she sat down across from Natsuki. "I was thinking of telling Natsuki about how things went when I came out to my mother, but now I'm not so sure. I would have thought Natsuki would be curious enough that she'd ask me herself, or maybe at least be so cutely nervous that I'd know it was on her mind. But I guess my mother's reaction doesn't matter that much to her…" Shizuru went into her fake sobbing routine as she trailed off.

"Baka!" Natsuki said, trying to ignore Shizuru's act. "You just got in the door, and you haven't given me a chance to ask you anything!"

"Ara, but if Natsuki really cared, she would have found an opportunity…" Shizuru gave an exaggerated sniff at this.

Natsuki suspected that if she didn't figure out what Shizuru wanted from her soon, the girl would soon manage to make actual tears fall from her eyes. With a sigh, she took a stab at a solution. "I'm sorry Shizuru, but I really do want to know how your mother reacted. Could you please tell me?"

Shizuru's face immediately lit up. Natsuki had known it was all an act, so she wasn't so much embarrassed that she'd played into it as relieved that she'd guessed correctly at what Shizuru was digging for. "Of course. Natsuki only had to ask," she said cheerfully. Natsuki rolled her eyes at this. She knew Shizuru caught it, but the girl pretended to ignore the gesture. "She reacted quite well, all things considered."

Natsuki let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding at Shizuru's good news. "That's good," she said. "I'd hate to be the cause of a rift between you and your parents."

A twinkle formed in Shizuru's eyes. "Natsuki is too sweet," she said. "But there's nothing to worry about. Mama has decided to simply be happy for me, despite a few concerns she may have."

"Concerns?"

"Well, nothing too surprising. She's a bit worried about how society might treat us; much more than I am, at any rate. There are a few other things too," Shizuru said, the twinkle in her eyes turning mischievous, "but I think Natsuki might blush a little too much if I told her about them."

Natsuki fought the urge to let her mind try to guess at what Shizuru and her mother might have been talking about, knowing it would make her blush despite Shizuru's consideration. Shizuru apparently sensed her inner struggle, as a lighthearted chuckle drifted across the room. "Baka!" Natsuki said as warmth flooded her cheeks.

Natsuki's blush only served to make Shizuru more blatant with her chuckling. After a few more embarrassing seconds, Shizuru finally settled down. "On another subject," she said, a hint of amusement still in her voice, "did Natsuki enjoy my special mayonnaise?"

The blush drained from Natsuki's face as her head was instead flooded with memories of the delectable taste Shizuru had provided for her. After making a sandwich with it, it was all she could do to stop herself from drinking the rest of it straight from the bottle. "Did I! What did you put in there, Shizuru? I didn't know even mayonnaise could taste that good!"

Shizuru giggled, a pleased grin on her face. "Ara, now if I told you what the secret ingredient was, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, now would it?" Deciding that two could play at the pouting game, Natsuki put on her best pout and looked at Shizuru with puppy-dog eyes. It seemed to work, as Shizuru's expression broke just a little. "I guess I can give you one little hint though. I picked the secret ingredient so that it would remind you of something else you love."

Natsuki ran through her memory to see if she could decode this hint. What was she thinking of when eating that sandwich? Well, about Shizuru mostly, but she'd thought that was just because it was from her and she was thinking forward to when she'd arrive. Could the secret ingredient have something to do with her then?

Determined to solve this riddle, Natsuki shot up from her seat and ran to the kitchen. She grabbed the bottle of mayonnaise from the refrigerator and squeezed out a dollop onto her finger. She brought it to her tongue and let out a moan as she started to savor the precious taste. She swirled it around her mouth, trying to absorb every bit of taste from it. Clearing her mind as much as she could, she drew on the first instinct to come to her for the extra taste.

"Tea leaves!" she shouted. A pleasant laughter from her sitting room told her that her guess was right on the money. Shoving the bottle back into the fridge, she ran back to Shizuru. "I can't believe those tastes go so well together! How did you ever manage to mix it in so well?"

"Ara ara," Shizuru said through her chuckles. "A girl has to have some secrets. But don't worry, Natsuki, I'll be sure to make you more now that I know you like it."

"You better," Natsuki said as she sat back down. "And you also better teach me to brew tea, if it really tastes that good."

"Of course, Natsuki," Shizuru said with a beautiful smile crossing her face that nearly made Natsuki swoon.

_Damn you, Shizuru. Why do I let the smallest expressions from you affect me so much?_ Natsuki thought. Trying to distract herself from the smile which sent waves of warmth through her body every time she glanced at it – not that that was a bad thing, just that she didn't want to lose control of herself right now – she decided to change the subject. "So what were you out buying today anyways?"

"Oh, just a couple little presents for my girlfriend," Shizuru said. She got up from her chair and drifted to the door to Natsuki's bedroom, where she'd stashed her shopping bag. Fortunately for Natsuki's sanity, her smile switched from hypnotic to mischievous. "A little idea struck me when we were talking about family the other day. I can't be around you all the time, so I've gotten you a little something that can keep you company in my stead."

Shizuru disappeared into Natsuki's room, and Natsuki took a chance to take a breather and get a hold of her senses. Unfortunately, this opened up room in her mind for nervousness about the planned events to take hold. Was she really ready to open herself up to Shizuru? To let the girl see her… _naked_? A blush rushed to Natsuki's face at the thought. She tried to fight it with logic – she'd already seen just as much of Shizuru and done just as much to her – but her modesty wasn't listening.

"Ara? Is Natsuki trying to make herself cute for me by blushing so much?" Shizuru's voice came from the doorway.

Natsuki snapped her head up to look at the girl, trying and failing to stop her blush from deepening. "B-baka!" Shizuru chuckled at her, and though it was at her discomfort, the sound somehow managed to help Natsuki relax a little. As she gained control of herself, Natsuki found the presence of mind to notice that Shizuru was hiding something behind her back. Remembering about what Shizuru had been up to, she said, "Can we just get on with this? What did you get for me?"

"A few things," Shizuru said. Her smile told Natsuki that she was quite pleased with herself for whatever she'd gathered up.

Natsuki wasn't normally one for accepting presents – she'd never had the friends or family for it since the accident that took her mother – but she figured she'd give this a shot if Shizuru wanted. As long as the girl didn't go too far overboard, at least. "Okay, so what do you have for me right there?"

"Well, I was thinking that it wasn't quite fair that I could get into Natsuki's room whenever I wanted and she couldn't do the same for me. With how much I like surprising Natsuki, I thought it might be quite fun if she chose to do the same for me. So…" Shizuru brought her hands around to the front as she approached Natsuki. In her right hand dangled a keychain with a couple of keys on it. "I present to Natsuki her very own set of keys to my house."

Natsuki tentatively reached out a hand to take the keys as she processed this gift. While the sentiment was nice, something about it seemed off. It didn't seem like something Shizuru would do to give up control of a situation like that. "Thanks," she said, trying not to let her concerns show through.

It was no use against Shizuru, however. "Ara, does Natsuki not like my gift?" she said with a somewhat hurt expression on her face.

Unlike with Shizuru's previous acts, Natsuki sensed that there was a fair bit less acting behind this expression. She scrambled to explain herself so Shizuru wouldn't be too put off. "No, of course I do! It's just that this seems weird. Since when are you one to give up control to anyone?"

The pain in Shizuru's face seemed to fade at this explanation. "Since last Saturday night," she said as her smile started to reform, "when Natsuki showed me just how fun it can be to give myself up to her. Courageous Natsuki can be very fun when she's in control."

Natsuki's face blushed at the memory, and she turned her head away from Shizuru to hide what she could of her expression. _I could sure use some of that courage tonight,_ she thought idly. _It's certainly a lot easier to be courageous when I'm the one in control. I guess… is that what she's thinking? Or maybe does she just feel it's right to share control in the relationship._

As she came to some guesses at Shizuru's intentions, her blush started to fade. Whichever reason it was, it was quite sweet of her. "Thank you, Shizuru," she said, turning back to the girl with a small smile on her face. "Maybe I'll have to take you up on that offer to surprise you and take control sometime." Shizuru's cheeks filled with pink at this. _Score,_Natsuki thought.

"Hehe, no problem Natsuki," Shizuru said, still a little flustered from Natsuki's proposal. "Um, let me go get the next gift, okay?"

As she left, Natsuki mentally chided herself. _Okay, that wave of courage helped me relax a little, but it might not have been the best idea to talk about things going the other way tonight. Even if it did make Shizuru blush, we shouldn't be focusing on that tonight, lest I try to act on it. Tonight's her turn to take control. …Crap. Where's my courage when it comes to that? I shouldn't be so afraid to open myself up to her…_

"Ara, is Natsuki alright?" Shizuru had once again snuck back while Natsuki was lost in thought, holding another item behind her back.

"Yea-" Natsuki started to say, but she broke off. _Ah, fuck it. No point in lying to her._ She sighed. "Just a little scared, I guess."

The sweet smile Shizuru gave her let Natsuki know that she'd made the right choice in telling her this. "Of course. That's quite alright, Natsuki." She approached Natsuki and reached one hand around to rest on her shoulder. "But trust me on this. Once things get going, you won't be afraid for a moment. Stopping will be harder than continuing. Alright?"

"I guess I'll have to trust you on that," Natsuki said. She brought a hand up to lightly pat Shizuru's in a gesture of thanks for her support. Her nervousness was still present, but if what Shizuru said was true, then she just had to stop thinking about things so much. "Okay, so what else do you have for me?"

A small smile broke out on Shizuru's face. Whether it was at seeing Natsuki doing a bit better or at the thought of her gift, Natsuki couldn't tell. "Well, this one occurred to me when we were talking about family," she said. "I hope that one day maybe we could have our own happy family together, but until then, I think you need something to take care of you while I'm not around. So, I now present to you… Duran-chan!"

Shizuru whipped her arm around, revealing a stuffed blue dog. The shape of its snout immediately brought memories of Duran to Natsuki's mind. The rest of it seemed designed for maximum cute appeal, with precious puppy eyes and humorously oversized paws. The effect wasn't lost on Natsuki, who let out an embarrassing squeal of delight as she plucked Duran-chan from Shizuru's hand.

"Ara, I think Natsuki has a new favorite toy," Shizuru said as Natsuki was busy nuzzling the stuffed dog. "I knew she was a dog person, but to be this cutesy with them is almost too much for me to take."

Natsuki took a break from bonding with Duran-chan to give Shizuru a quick glare. "Quiet," she said. _Damn it. How could I lose control of myself so easily in front of her…_ Her gaze once again caught the sight of Duran-chan's face, which was just begging to be nuzzled some more. _Oh. Right. But in front of someone? Well, I guess maybe it's okay if it's Shizuru…_

Shizuru simply chuckled at Natsuki's display of affections for the stuffed dog. Eventually, Natsuki moved on from nuzzling it and gave it a tight hug while she smiled at Shizuru. "Thank you, Shizuru," she said, unable to suppress the giddy smile on her face.

"And thank you, Natsuki," Shizuru said, bringing her face down to Natsuki's, "for revealing this cute side of yourself to me." Before Natsuki had a chance to blush at this, Shizuru closed the distance and gave Natsuki a quick kiss. It was over almost before Natsuki had a chance to think about it, but it succeeded in pushing any thoughts of embarrassment from her mind. "Now come," she said afterwards, gripping Natsuki's hand as she stood up.

"Huh?" Natsuki said in surprise as Shizuru pulled her to her bedroom. Duran-chan fell from her grip at Shizuru's sudden movement, but she didn't have a chance to retrieve him. As she looked back longingly at the puppy, her mind tried to puzzle out what Shizuru had in mind to do next. Was that it for the gifts? Was Shizuru planning to take her to bed now? "Uh… Shizuru… what are you…? Is this it then?" she asked hesitantly.

Shizuru paused in her step, a somewhat embarrassed smile forming on her face. "Ara, don't worry Natsuki, I still have more gifts for you, which I hope will make you just as happy as Duran-chan. But it seems that whenever I leave Natsuki alone, her mind goes to uncomfortable places, so I think it's best to keep her with me for the rest of the night."

As soon as Shizuru turned back and pulled her into the bedroom, Natsuki gave up her control and let a blush flood her face. _Damn you, Shizuru. You just can't let me hide anything from you, can you? Er… but, I guess it is nice that you're that concerned about me being comfortable… Ugh! Why can you never simply make me feel a single emotion about anything you do? It's just like all your teasing…_

"Now sit down," Shizuru said, motioning to the bed. Natsuki obeyed, trying to catch a glimpse inside the shopping bag she'd noticed on the floor as she did so. Unfortunately, the angle was just wrong for her to see anything, so she gave up with a sigh and resolved herself to waiting out Shizuru.

"Alright, Shizuru, what's next?" she asked.

"Close your eyes," Shizuru said, a playful grin on her face as she stood in front of Natsuki. After rolling them quickly, Natsuki obeyed her girlfriend's instructions, silently hoping she wouldn't find herself attacked in any way as she did so. Fortunately, Shizuru didn't seem to have that in mind. "Now, next up has to do with Duran-chan. I don't want him to be the only family you have, so I've got something else for you to help out."

Natsuki heard the sounds of Shizuru rustling around in the shopping bag. Gambling that Shizuru would have her back turned, she started to crack her eyes open to see if she could catch a glimpse of what Shizuru was getting. Her ploy was cut short, however, by a sharp, "Keep those eyes closed," from Shizuru. She gave a sigh as she squeezed her eyelids shut again.

Shizuru started talking again, though this time she seemed to be coming from a lower position. "Now, I'd like you to meet the rest of your little family. Her name is Mayo, and she's very, very friendly. Open your eyes, Natsuki."

Natsuki slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see Shizuru holding another plush dog before her – possibly white or yellow-white judging by the name. Instead, she didn't get a chance to see much beyond a flash of Shizuru's face in front of hers as the girl quickly leaned in to lick across her face. With a yelp that faded into a giggle, she rolled back onto the bed to get away from whatever Shizuru was up to.

As Shizuru came into view again, she figured out just what was the nature of her game. Shizuru had put on a pair of doggy ears and she had her hands up in the same pose she'd used when she was pretending to be Duran in the sporting goods store earlier that week. With a cheerful "Yip!" Shizuru pounced onto the bed, her arms and legs straddling Natsuki as her tongue came down to smother the girl's face with puppy kisses.

"Shi-Shizuru!" Natsuki got out in the midst of a fit of giggles and the distractions of Shizuru's rabid tongue. Her protest got her nowhere; if anything, it spurred Shizuru on to increase her pace. Resigning herself to playing along with Shizuru's game, she suppressed her giggles – Since when had she become so bad at hiding how she actually enjoyed some of Shizuru's antics? – and said sternly, "Mayo!"

"Mayo" paused in her flurry of kisses and pulled her head back to look at Natsuki. "Aroo?" she said as she tilted her head to the side, her tongue still hanging out as she panted lightly.

Natsuki had intended to scold her "dog" for pouncing on her like that, but she just didn't have the heart. Shizuru was just making herself irresistibly cute when she acted like this. She reached out her hand to pat the girl's head as she would a puppy. "You're a good little girl, aren't you, Mayo?" she said.

"Yip!" Shizuru replied, with a priceless expression of joy on her face. Seeing that expression sent a surge of desire through Natsuki, and she abandoned the roleplay as she bent her head to catch Shizuru's lips in her own. The girl tried to play the puppy a bit more and struggled a bit to get out and simply lick Natsuki's face, but Natsuki was ready for this and moved her hands up to hold Shizuru's face steady until she had her fill of the kiss.

It didn't take more than a second before Shizuru gave in to the kiss and started moving her lips slowly back against Natsuki's. A light chuckle made its way between them, but this only served to make Natsuki redouble her efforts. Shizuru let her continue the kiss at her more furious pace for a bit, but she soon pulled back. Though Natsuki was disappointed, she decided to release her grip on Shizuru's head to let her go if she wished.

"Ara ara," Shizuru said after a moment of catching her breath. Natsuki caught a cute twinkle in her eyes as they met her own. "Now is it really appropriate to do something like that to your puppy?"

"Baka. I wasn't doing that to my puppy, I was doing that to my girlfriend," Natsuki said.

Shizuru chuckled as she rolled off of Natsuki and stood up from the bed. "I guess I'd better take these off then," she said as she removed the headband which held her doggy ears. "I think my meaning might have gotten lost in the play there, but I want you to know, Natsuki, that you can think of me as part of your little family as well. A very important part, I hope."

Natsuki let out a small chuckle as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. "You didn't have to go through all that, Shizuru," she said. "You've really been the closest thing to family I've had since my father left. Before I knew about your feelings for me, I kind of thought of you like a big sister, to be honest. You were always there to help me out or protect me when I needed it, and I didn't even have any idea just how much you were doing for me."

Natsuki reached out her hand to grasp one of Shizuru's as she spotted a blush forming on the other girl's cheeks. She certainly hadn't been expecting this admission, and frankly, Natsuki hadn't seen it coming or realized she'd thought of Shizuru that way until that moment. It felt right though. "But I guess now I'm kind of glad you weren't actually my sister," she said. "It leaves us the possibility of getting into an even closer relationship."

The blush had spread to cover almost all of Shizuru's face now. "Natsuki…" she said. "I'm supposed to be getting you feeling like this right now, not the other way around." Shizuru gave her best attempt at a pout, but it just didn't work in her current mood.

Reflecting on her current state of mind and the aching need for her girlfriend that was coursing through her body, Natsuki responded coyly, "Oh, I don't think you're doing such a bad job at that." _I think I'm ready now, Shizuru,_ she added silently, though she hoped the girl got the message.

Judging by Shizuru's chuckle, she probably did get it. "That's good to hear, Natsuki," she said. "But I've got one more present for you, and it's the most important one of all, so you're not going to be able to stop me from giving it to you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** That's all for now, though I've already written a fair bit of what's going to be in the next chapter. I'll keep right at working, and I'll try not to put things off too long. One little note, though: For Shizuru's final gift, it might pay to reread a certain part of What Dreams May Come to comprehend all that's going on. You can do that while waiting if you can figure out what I'm talking about, or as necessary when the next chapter comes out.

If you still can't figure it out, one fan recently made a very beautiful illustration which happens to fit the next chapter quite well. You can find the link to it in my profile.


	6. In Her Arms

**Author's Note: **And here you go, what I'm sure everyone has been waiting for. I'll do my best to make it as good as possible, as right after I finish working on this, I'm going to be taking a little break from this to work on a special fic. All I'm going to say about that one is it's a Shiznat with hurt/comfort themes. Let your imaginations run wild.

* * *

**Title: **Perchance to Dream

**Rating: **M

**Chapter 6:** In Her Arms

* * *

_What is this, the fourth gift now? Fifth if you count the mayo… Shizuru's really going all out with this…_ Natsuki thought as Shizuru returned to her shopping bag to get the final gift. _Though I guess I really did give her quite the night herself last week. And she did promise to make it as perfect for me as possible… _A wave of warmth flowed through Natsuki's chest at the thought of all Shizuru was trying to do for her. _I guess one more gift wouldn't be that bad, as long as it doesn't ruin the mood._

Shizuru didn't bother hiding her gift this time as she turned around. She held in her hands a stack of a dozen or so papers stapled together. From the glimpse she got, Natsuki thought she saw Shizuru's handwriting on the front sheet. "I remembered how much you appreciated seeing me open myself up to you," Shizuru explained. "So for my final gift, I'm baring my soul to you, Natsuki."

At Natsuki's confused expression, Shizuru continued, "Over the week when you were deciding your feelings, I decided to write down all of my innermost thoughts in the form of letters to you. It helped me get out all the things that I wanted to say to you but couldn't. I always planned to give them to you some day if you were ever ready to take in all of these things."

Natsuki gave a nod at this. She'd suspected that Shizuru was going through her own emotional turmoil that week in anticipation of her decision, so it made sense that she'd find some way to let out some of her emotions. It was a really sweet choice on her part, too. Natsuki had indeed felt overwhelmed by Shizuru's feelings for her for quite a while since she'd found out about the extent of them, and it was nice to know that she'd realized this and made pains to hold them in for her comfort. _Now, though… _Natsuki smiled to herself._I just want to be enveloped in them._

"And I'm ready now," she said.

Shizuru smiled. "I think you reached that point last week after my own special night, to be honest, and I really wanted to share these with you the following day. However…" A light blush formed on her cheeks and she paused a moment before finishing her sentence. "After what I wrote in the last letter… Well, you'll see. I wanted to save it for tonight."

Natsuki suppressed a chuckle. It wasn't surprising that Shizuru might have included a few of her more perverted thoughts in letters like that. Natsuki suspected that her girlfriend had been – and probably was still – suppressing quite a number of thoughts along those lines. If anything, the surprise was that it had been limited to the final letter.

"Well, I think you can be pretty confident in my reaction tonight," she said. She met her girlfriend's gaze and gave her the most loving smile she could muster. "Thank you, Shizuru."

"Ara ara," Shizuru said as she smiled back and sat down on the bed next to Natsuki. "Save your thanks until after you've read these." Shizuru passed the stack of letters to Natsuki.

"I'll just give you more at the end, okay?" Natsuki said as she eyed the top letter.

Shizuru smiled at this. "Alright. Now, no more delays. Read." She punctuated this by jabbing her finger at the letters.

"Yes, Ma'am," Natsuki said, snapping off an obedient salute.

As soon as Natsuki started reading the first letter, she felt Shizuru begin to crawl up onto the bed and wrap herself around her. By the end of the first paragraph, Shizuru seemed to have settled on a comfortable position. She had her legs on either side of Natsuki, slightly curled in to play with her girlfriend's. Her arms were wrapped around Natsuki's chest with her hands tantalizingly close to the girl's breasts. But perhaps the most distracting aspect of her position was the location of her head, which was currently nestled on Natsuki's shoulder and casually breathing into her ear.

"Hey!" Natsuki said at the end of the first letter. "You promised that you'd be kissing your way up my neck as I read this letter!" she teased.

"Ara, but Natsuki was supposed to blush for me first," Shizuru said in her pouting voice. "And don't bother now, it's too late. You'll have to wait until the end, when you won't have to do anything to get me to start and won't be able to do anything to get me to stop." Despite Shizuru's admonition that it wouldn't do any good, the implications of her statement succeeded in making Natsuki blush anyways. "Thank you," Shizuru whispered into her ear, obviously having noticed it.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki said, half sighing, half chuckling at her girlfriend. It might have just been her imagination, but Shizuru seemed to make more of a concentrated effort to breathe into her ear from this point on as she continued reading.

By the time Natsuki flipped to the last letter, her body had started shuddering in time with Shizuru's breaths. Each exhalation seemed to bring with it a wave of warmth through her body as she imagined Shizuru's essence flooding her. If the words she were reading weren't so full of Shizuru's emotions, the hazy state of her mind probably wouldn't have allowed her to piece any meaning out of them.

"I can't believe you love me this much, Shizuru," she whispered as she started to read the last letter. She felt like all the emotion from the other girl was overwhelming her, but she wouldn't give it up for the world. Even if it was making her heart race, causing her body to tremble uncontrollably, and making tears start to leak from her eyes, it was Shizuru doing it to her. At this moment, she wanted to accept everything her lover might give her.

"Then let me prove it to you," Shizuru whispered back to her, nuzzling her head into the crook of Natsuki's neck. "One more letter. Just one more letter, Natsuki, and then I'll chase any doubts from your mind."

Natsuki nodded weakly as she read the final letter, which told of Shizuru's reactions to the first time Natsuki had made love to her. If her body could have spared the blood, Natsuki knew she would have surely blushed at the reminder of all she'd done to her lover and the thought that Shizuru planned to do the same to her. She wasn't afraid anymore, though. She couldn't imagine Shizuru possibly doing anything to hurt her or make her uncomfortable at this moment.

"_By the way, I know I promised you in a couple of these earlier letters that I'd start doing things to you as you read them. I decided to hold myself back though, as you've surely figured out by now. I wanted to let you get through all of these in relative peace. I'm probably hugging you or something while you read them, though, maybe with a few tender kisses here and there."_

Somehow, Shizuru seemed to know when Natsuki reached this point in the letter. Natsuki felt Shizuru turn her head in and plant a soft kiss at the base of her neck. The soft sensation caused a bolt of pleasure to lance through her neck, forcing a sharp gasp out of her mouth.

"_Ooh, and here."_

Another kiss, a little farther up Natsuki's neck and closer to her mouth. Much too far away, though. She needed to taste Shizuru, to feel her love's lips against her own.

"_Definitely there as well."_

The kiss was just an inch away from her mouth now, tantalizingly close. Natsuki could feel her girlfriend's body squeezing into her own to allow her to reach her head this far forward, and this tight contact seemed even more sensual to her than the kiss did. She wished she were facing the other way, so she could squeeze Shizuru back.

This position did have its advantages, though, as it allowed Shizuru's fingers to drift up to tenderly trace Natsuki's breasts, the light contact sending a fierce wave of shivers through the girl's body. The mix of sensations from Shizuru's body at her back, her lips at her cheek, and her fingers on her breasts forced a pair of tears to finally break free from Natsuki's eyes as the emotion overwhelmed her. A small voice in the back of Natsuki's mind imagined how much of a mess she must look like, but it only lasted a moment before even that small part stopped caring.

"_Oh, in case you haven't figured it out yet, your very special night is about to begin. Enjoy!"_

The pressure of Shizuru against her back increased slightly as Shizuru's head stretched as far forward as possible. Knowing what must have been Shizuru's goal, Natsuki turned her head around to bring her lips within reach of her lover's. Her eyes caught a quick glimpse of Shizuru's beautiful face before the sensation of soft lips against her own made her eyelids drift shut as she focused on the kiss.

Shizuru's lips moved against hers gently – too gently. A sob made its way out of Natsuki's mouth and into the kiss before she could stop it, and she soon felt the salty taste of her tears leaking into her mouth. She was beyond caring about how she was baring all of her emotions to Shizuru so easily; it was only right after what her lover had just done for her. She didn't even know what emotion it might be she was experiencing. It just seemed like her love had been concentrated in her until it started to burst out.

Natsuki pulled back from the kiss just enough so she could let this out. She had to say the words. She opened her eyes and looked down into Shizuru's, which were now curiously looking back at her for the reason she'd stopped their kiss. Watching every slight movement and change of emotion in them, she said, "I love you, Shizuru." Another sob broke out of her mouth. "I love you so much."

The emotion in Shizuru's eyes caused an aching need to shoot through Natsuki's heart. Even in their lovemaking the previous week, she didn't think she'd ever seen such pure love in her eyes. "I love you too, Natsuki," Shizuru said, quite unnecessarily.

Shizuru moved her head in to resume the kiss, but Natsuki slipped a hand in between them to hold her off. She squirmed around in Shizuru's grasp so she could face the girl more easily. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and tried to explain to her, "I need you, Shizuru. Don't make me wait any longer." Another time, the desire in her voice and implications of her words might have made Natsuki blush furiously, or maybe she would have reminded herself that she'd been fearing this moment, not waiting for it. None of that was present now, though.

Shizuru gave a nod at this, though Natsuki sensed a little nervousness from the girl. That wasn't too surprising; she'd been nervous herself when it was her turn to pleasure Shizuru. "Whatever Natsuki wants," she said softly.

Her eyes firmly locked with Natsuki's, in case she saw a hint of objection that she wasn't comprehending Natsuki's needs correctly, Shizuru's hands drifted down to grab onto the hem of her shirt. As Natsuki nodded to confirm that this was indeed what she had in mind, Shizuru slowly pulled the shirt up. She kept her arms and hands in close to Natsuki, maintaining as much contact as she could until they raised above the girl's head. She quickly tossed the shirt aside before wrapping her arms right back around Natsuki, as if to make sure the girl spent as little time as possible un-hugged.

_She's definitely been paying attention,_ Natsuki thought to herself about Shizuru's consideration. She smiled back at Shizuru and pushed herself off of her lap and onto the bed so she could get the proper angle for what she intended to do next, making sure that she didn't slip out of Shizuru's arms in the process. Shizuru's expression changed from tentative to confused as Natsuki did this.

When Natsuki slipped her hands in under the hem of Shizuru's shirt and started to return the favor by disrobing her girlfriend, the confusion became more pronounced. "Ara," Shizuru said as Natsuki tugged her shirt up. "I thought this night was supposed to be just for Natsuki…" Despite her stated hesitance, Shizuru relented and temporarily removed her arms from the hug so Natsuki could pull the shirt over her head.

As soon as the shirt was discarded and Shizuru's arms had wrapped themselves once again around her neck, Natsuki explained to the girl, "I said I need you Shizuru. _All_ of you. I don't want any clothes getting between us tonight – mine or yours."

A smile widened across Shizuru's face as Natsuki's intent became clear to her. "Then I guess we've got some work to do in getting rid of them." She shifted her hands to hold onto Natsuki's shoulders as she lightly pushed the girl back and down onto the bed. Natsuki acquiesced to her girlfriend's plan, but she made sure she never broke eye contact with her girlfriend. When she was fully lying down, Shizuru crawled up to straddle her. Gazing back into Natsuki's eyes, she said, "But this is Natsuki's night, so just leave everything to me."

Natsuki could feel a blush pushing its way to her cheeks under her girlfriend's gaze. She still wasn't afraid – she assured herself – it was just that the expression on Shizuru's face made her feel so desired. Shizuru may have taken the dominant position, but the gentle love in her eyes said that she wouldn't be pushing Natsuki into anything here. It would all just be what she was ready for – what she'd asked for.

After leaning her head down to give Natsuki an all-too quick kiss, Shizuru rose up into a sitting position to free her hands. Her left found its way to Natsuki's chest, lightly tracing its way down from her neck. The light contact sent a wave of shivers through Natsuki, which only increased as Shizuru's fingers reached the more tender flesh of her breasts. Natsuki had to bite her lip to keep from moaning out loud as the fingers started tracing circles around her breasts, the pressure increasing slightly as they passed over her bra so she could still feel them. Then they were back to a feather-light touch as they reached her flesh again.

Natsuki was so absorbed in the sensations Shizuru was eliciting in her and trying not to scream out from them that she almost missed what Shizuru's right hand was doing. It had slipped behind Shizuru's back while Natsuki was distracted, and with a barely audible click, the bra straps on Shizuru's shoulders jerked a bit as they loosened. The hand came back around to the front and slipped the straps off of Shizuru's shoulders, finally revealing the girl's beautiful breasts to Natsuki.

Natsuki couldn't help herself. The sight of the girl's bountiful breasts was just too enchanting. Even though Shizuru had made quite clear that it was supposed to be her night, and even through the distracting touches on her own chest, she needed to feel Shizuru. She brought her right hand up to meet the underside of Shizuru's breast, feeling its weight at first, then tenderly massaging it in her hand.

"Ara, did Natsuki find something she likes?" Shizuru's voice drew Natsuki's gaze up to the girl's face, which she was surprised to notice bore a slight blush.

Natsuki chuckled nervously, feeling as if she'd been caught in the act. "You bet I did," she said. She let out a light sigh, which faded into a moan when Shizuru's fingers resumed their tracing around her breasts. The glint in Shizuru's eye made it quite clear that she'd purposefully taken advantage of that unguarded moment to force out the moan. Trying to ignore that issue for the moment, Natsuki struggled to remember what she'd been about to say. "I've always admired your breasts, you know. I wish mine could be as big as yours…"

"Oh, I don't know," Shizuru said. Her fingers made their way back across the tops of Natsuki's breasts, the sensation doubled now that both of Shizuru's hands could join in on the action. Natsuki didn't bother to try to hold back her moan this time, and her courtesy in this was rewarded with a lovely smile from Shizuru. "I've always preferred Natsuki's breasts myself. Part of the reason is simply that they're Natsuki's, of course, but they just seem to fit her body so well. Everything about you is perfectly in proportion, while I'm rather top-heavy, to be quite honest."

Natsuki opened her mouth to reply, but all she could manage was a stuttered moan when Shizuru's hands came down to cup her breasts. She had increased the pressure now, and was lightly massaging them, sending wave after wave of pleasure through Natsuki's chest. Her thumbs then came in and simultaneously flicked both of Natsuki's erect nipples through her bra. Natsuki felt herself gasp and squeeze down on Shizuru's breast at the sharp sensations this caused in her, but she needed more. The action had left a burning need in her nipples, and there was no way Shizuru could satisfy it through her bra.

She was too lost to form any words, so Natsuki settled on letting out a frustrated groan and hoping Shizuru picked up the hint. "Ara? Is there something Natsuki wants?" Shizuru asked coyly in response.

Natsuki grimaced at this and dropped her hand from Shizuru's breast. _Please, Shizuru… I don't know if I can take much more of your teasing now… I just need your touch. I can't stand this torture… _She would have said anything if she could, but the taunting motions of Shizuru's hands on her breasts kept her mouth occupied with a series of gasps and moans.

Judging by the way the expression on Shizuru's face dropped from mischievous to sympathetic, her message had gotten through. "Hmm, could what Natsuki wants be…" Shizuru pulled her hands back from over Natsuki's bra and pressed her fingers up against the lower hem. "This?" Her fingers slipped under the bra and pushed it upward, finally easing the aching need that had been growing in Natsuki's breasts.

Natsuki let out a pleased moan to let Shizuru know that she'd guessed correctly as Shizuru proceeded to pull her bra up and off over her head. After only a few seconds of missing the girl's contact, Shizuru's hands found their way back to Natsuki's breasts and took advantage of their new level of access. A giggle erupted unbidden from Natsuki's mouth as it finally struck her that Shizuru had made it so she'd actually begged her girlfriend to remove her bra, in stark contrast to the fear over exposure she'd previously felt.

The laughter didn't faze Shizuru in the slightest as she continued her caresses of Natsuki's breasts. When a jolt of pleasure caused Natsuki to toss her head off to the side at one point, Shizuru's lips were quick to rush in and take advantage of the wealth of exposed neck this provided. If the pressure of Shizuru against her neck weren't pinning her head in this position, the constant assault on Natsuki's senses certainly would have.

The whole experience was starting to drive her crazy. She didn't know how Shizuru had lasted as long as she had in their previous sessions; she felt ready for release already. But Shizuru hadn't even gotten into her pants yet. How much further could her girlfriend push her? It was almost frightening to think of those extremes of pleasure, but somehow Shizuru's presence made her feel alright. If Shizuru was the one taking her there, she had nothing to fear. She just had to lie back and enjoy the ride.

Shizuru took a short break from her activities at Natsuki's neck to move her lips up to the girl's ear. "I have something else I think Natsuki might like," she whispered, her breath sending a wave of shivers through Natsuki's body. "I'm going to need to get off of you for just a second though. Don't get lonely on me."

With a quick kiss to Natsuki's cheek, Shizuru drifted off of her to stand by the side of the bed. Natsuki turned her head over to watch as her girlfriend brought her hands down to the hem of her pants. She hooked her thumbs inside and pulled them down slowly. Natsuki wasn't so embarrassed by the sight at first, as she'd expected Shizuru to still have her panties on underneath, but it was quickly apparent to her that Shizuru was pulling those off at the same time. If she hadn't already been at full blush capacity, the sight she unexpectedly got of Shizuru's neatly trimmed pubic hair and lower lips certainly would have sent her there.

As soon as her pants had reached her ankles, Shizuru quickly kicked them off and crawled back onto Natsuki. Instead of hovering over her body as she'd done previously, Shizuru now lay right on top of the girl. Her mouth made its way across Natsuki's cheek to catch her lips in a tender kiss that made Natsuki break down even further. The feeling of Shizuru's naked body tightly pressed up against hers was just heavenly. She could feel her girlfriend's body heat passing into her own body, and Shizuru's erect nipples were perfectly aligned with her own as their breasts were pressed together.

A whimper of unrestrained delight passed through Natsuki's mouth as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend to pull her in even tighter. The aching in her chest she always seemed to feel around Shizuru had been filled up with a pleasant warmth. As she moved her legs out, planning to wrap them around Shizuru, she realized there was still one thing missing before everything could be perfect.

Gathering up all the focus she could muster, Natsuki brought her hands in to lightly push Shizuru away from her mouth. With what she suspected would be her last coherent words until this was all over, she said, "I need to feel all of you, Shizuru."

She was met with a confused look at first. After a moment, Shizuru glanced downwards, in the direction of their tangled legs. "You mean…?"

Natsuki wasn't sure if Shizuru had quite picked up her meaning, but she didn't have the focus remaining to clarify herself. Hoping that Shizuru had guessed correctly, she gave a quick nod and a weak "Please."

A profound sense of loss struck Natsuki as Shizuru's body lifted from her own, but she forced herself to bear with it. Shizuru needed the room to work so they could be even closer. Fortunately, it seemed that Shizuru had indeed gotten Natsuki's meaning, as she felt the girl start to tug at her pants. She'd been a bit worried that the girl would have started to tease her through them as she had with her bra, but fortunately that wasn't the case. Shizuru was wasting no further time in stripping her naked, and this included pulling Natsuki's panties off along with her pants as she'd done to herself a minute ago.

Natsuki held her breath in nervousness as she was exposed to Shizuru's eyes. Shizuru had surely fantasized about her many times. Could the reality live up to all of her dreams? Natsuki wasn't one for trimming down there like Shizuru was, so she was a bit nervous about how her girlfriend might react to seeing her unruly hair. It turned out she needn't have been concerned however. The words were soft, and she could barely hear them, but she was sure that she heard Shizuru whisper, "So precious…"

Shizuru didn't spend too much time focusing on her treasure, though. She soon crawled back up Natsuki's body until they were in much the same position as before. As Shizuru's face hovered above Natsuki's, she couldn't help but notice the expression on it. It looked like Shizuru was delighted beyond her ability to believe it, and was almost afraid that it wasn't true. There was even a small tear that had leaked its way out of her left eye.

Natsuki couldn't form the words to reassure her lover, so she let her own expression and her actions speak for her. Breaking through all of her own walls for the sake of Shizuru, Natsuki let all of her love and desire spill out onto her face. She wanted this just as much as Shizuru did. Her hands reached the back of Shizuru's head to pull her down, bringing their lips together once more.

A light sob broke through Shizuru's mouth at this action, and Natsuki felt a drop of wetness fall onto her cheek. As if she subconsciously didn't want to let her girlfriend be the more emotive one at this moment, Natsuki made herself focus on all the sensations Shizuru was bringing out in her, from the kiss and the pressure of her body, to all the sweet gestures she'd made this evening. It was only a matter of moments before Natsuki felt herself overwhelmed with emotion as well, with her own tears starting to pour out.

_I love you so much, Shizuru…_ She couldn't make herself say the words, so she let the motions of her lips in the kiss speak for her. Shizuru seemed to recognize and return her added enthusiasm, and when Natsuki felt her lover's tongue poking at the entrance to her mouth, she eagerly obliged it, taking Shizuru into her. Her own tongue played with Shizuru's for a bit, before it stretched its way past and into Shizuru's mouth.

Meanwhile, Natsuki took advantage of the unclothed state of her legs to wrap them around Shizuru's and revel in the contact. She finally had it: the perfect embrace. She and her lover were both completely bare to each other, sharing as much flesh as was possible. They were as close together as they could possibly get, and Natsuki wished it could never end. She wished she could always be this close to Shizuru, the girl who would do so much for her and make her feel so many wonderful things.

Shizuru shifted a bit in the embrace, though she was making no attempt to break free. Instead, she was simply trying to get some room to maneuver her arms. Her left hand snuck in between them and found Natsuki's breast once again, while her right hand was aiming much lower. Her head had come up from their kiss in her motions, but this had the advantage of allowing Natsuki to gaze into her eyes for this moment. There was still a hint of disbelief that this was really happening in them, but mostly they were just filled with adoration. Another wave of warmth made its way through Natsuki at the thought of being so wanted.

Shizuru's wandering hand paused when it landed in Natsuki's curls. Her eyes gazed tentatively at Natsuki's as if asking permission to proceed. Her hand had even stopped its caresses of Natsuki breasts temporarily, as if she didn't want the waves of pleasure it induced to sway her judgment. _Even after all this… still so concerned that it's alright with me…_ Natsuki smiled at the thoughtfulness of her girlfriend, and she gave a small nod to indicate that she wanted –_needed_ – Shizuru to continue.

Still tentative, Shizuru's hand started drifting downwards at an almost torturously slow pace. Natsuki knew that Shizuru was only doing it so she'd have a chance to protest and back out, but nothing could be further from her mind. She needed to feel her lover's touch in her most private of places, and being denied it was almost painful. Even Shizuru's hand on her breast remained still, robbing her of even those sensations.

Maybe Shizuru picked up something on Natsuki's face, as her expression quickly turned apologetic and the motions of her hand on Natsuki's breast resumed. Natsuki let out a pleased moan and let her eyes drift shut as she allowed herself to be absorbed in the pleasure Shizuru was bringing her. She wasn't sure if Shizuru's hand sped up or if the time just seemed to pass faster with the distracting pleasure, but it wasn't much longer before she felt Shizuru's index finger reach the edge of her lips, sending an electrifying jolt of pleasure through her body upon contact.

Natsuki felt her breathing intensify as Shizuru's hand drifted farther downwards, her index finger tracing its way along her slit. The fierce sensations pulsing through her body were almost more than she could take, even with Shizuru's hand simply remaining in place and holding her. When she gained enough consciousness in the pause to open her eyes and look at Shizuru, the love she saw in her girlfriend's eyes was enough to cause another wave of tears to leak out.

When Shizuru's finger curled in and pushed its way through her lips, Natsuki was surprised that she didn't faint. As it was, her vision seemed to fragment and fade from her consciousness, the picture of Shizuru's loving face imprinting itself directly onto her mind to make up for the fact that she couldn't observe it directly. She could still hear, though, which allowed her listen to the whimper she let out when Shizuru's finger started tracing its way upwards.

"Ah!" Natsuki choked out a cry when the teasing finger found a particularly sensitive bundle of nerves. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her body, and she couldn't help her hips bucking upwards in reflex. As Shizuru's finger started to circle around this nub, Natsuki responsively squeezed her arms down on Shizuru, gripping her in a desperate hug. Shizuru relented into her grasp, and she removed her left arm from between them so her body could press up closer to Natsuki's.

Shizuru's head soon nestled itself into the crook of Natsuki's neck, giving her mouth a nice, tender spot to nibble on. Her free arm forced its way under Natsuki's shoulders, lifting them upwards and forcing Natsuki to tilt her head back and expose even more of her neck to her lover. Shizuru made good use of this expanse of flesh, smothering it with a wave of kisses and lightly nibbling on a few particularly tender spots.

The kisses on her neck were only a mild distraction, though, from the intense pleasure Shizuru's finger was bringing her. It had started to speed up its circling, and its pace was soon met by constant shudders which wracked Natsuki's body. If she and Shizuru hadn't been holding each other so tightly, they might have thrown her from the bed, or at least away from Shizuru's hand.

When Shizuru's hand switched to stroking across Natsuki's clit, her shudders were joined by a series of high-pitched moans. She could feel something building in her, and she didn't know how long she could hold out against it. But she couldn't let herself go quite yet. She needed to feel Shizuru inside of her before this was over, as much of the girl as she could take. As hard as it was to put off the intense pleasure she knew was coming, she had to put up a fight.

Natsuki had almost reached her limit when Shizuru's finger suddenly disappeared from her clit. She couldn't focus her mind enough to think about what Shizuru might be doing; she just took the chance to catch her breath so she could resist her inevitable climax a few minutes longer. It was getting harder and harder to do this, though. She desperately wanted to let Shizuru bring her to her peak, but she also wanted to prolong this session as long as possible and let Shizuru do as much to her as possible.

When Shizuru's finger reappeared, it was a bit lower than before. After a short amount of pleasurable digging, it was able to find the entrance into Natsuki. The hole was quickly filled, bringing Natsuki a profound sense of finally being complete. Everything seemed to fit together so perfectly in their embrace now, from Shizuru's mouth on her neck down to her finger probing her depths. She was ready to reach her climax, and Shizuru was ready to bring it to her.

Almost as soon as Natsuki's mind drifted from the pleasurable thoughts of Shizuru filling her, the finger started moving inside her. It thrust slowly in and out, rotating its pressure around Natsuki's inner walls. Each thrust brought with it a wave of pleasure that was unlike any Natsuki had felt before. It was as if she were being swept up in a current of Shizuru's love. Her sense of hearing had finally joined sight in failing her, but Natsuki was sure that she was letting out a stream of moans now.

The tightness suddenly jumped up a notch as a second finger made its way inside of Natsuki. All of her senses focused on the motions of those two fingers inside her, as they started thrusting together slowly and gradually picked up the pace. The pleasure was amplified further when Natsuki's mind started focusing on how it was Shizuru doing this to her.

_Shizuru… _The girl's essence resonated through Natsuki's mind with each thrust of her fingers. _My best friend… My first kiss… My girlfriend… My lover… My first love… My only love… My… my… __**Shizuru!**_

Natsuki let loose a scream as Shizuru drove her to her peak. Every nerve in her body was alight with pleasure. She felt as if she'd lost contact with the ground, and now she was flying, held aloft by the embrace of her lover. Shizuru was all she could feel, all she could think about, but she was all she needed. The moment seemed to last forever, but it was over far too soon.

"Shizuru… Shizuru…" Natsuki sobbed out as she drifted down from her climax. Her body quaked from the periodic aftershocks, but Shizuru held her tight and gently lowered her back to earth. Shizuru's fingers remained inside her, gently stroking the tender flesh to help ease her down. Her lips tenderly kissed their way up Natsuki's neck, finally reaching her lips once more, where they caught all of Natsuki's sobs until she finally settled down.

Their lips parted, and Shizuru slid her fingers out of Natsuki. Natsuki's sight finally cleared and she beheld the image of her goddess' face above her. "I love you, Shizuru," she said. "Thank you for this."

"I love you too, Natsuki," Shizuru said with a soft purr. She dipped down to give Natsuki a quick kiss. "And you're welcome. I'll be sure to do it again sometime."

"Many times," Natsuki said, trying to force a glare into her eyes. Giving up at trying to look angry, she softened her gaze. "Don't ever leave me, Shizuru." A yawn broke out unbidden at the end of her sentence.

"Ara, of course not, Natsuki," her love said. A small little twinkle appeared in her eyes. "But I will have to get a little room here so we can pull the sheets out and get into a better sleeping position. Natsuki seems quite tired right now."

Natsuki chuckled lightly as Shizuru rolled off of her. "I don't suppose you'd let me return the favor, would you?"

"Nope," Shizuru said with a grin. As she started tugging at the bedsheets, Natsuki rolled over a bit to help get them out from under her. "You don't need to. Tonight was already fun enough for me." Natsuki rolled back and lay on her side. She held out her arms to motion Shizuru in, and the girl soon obliged. Once she was snuggled up against her lover, Shizuru continued as she lightly stroked Natsuki's hair, "You have no idea how enjoyable it was for me to finally see Natsuki submitting to me and writhing at my touch."

A light blush colored Natsuki's cheeks at this, but it faded as she reflected back to her first time pleasuring Shizuru. "Oh, I think I have some idea…" she said. Her head found its way to just under Shizuru's chin as she cuddled up against her girlfriend, and she lightly kissed her lover's chest.

"Uh uh," Shizuru said, warning Natsuki against further such kisses. "You'll have plenty of time for that later. Sleep now."

Natsuki sighed and adjusted her position a bit, keeping her arms and legs wrapped around Shizuru as she tried to find the perfect spot for her head. Eventually it settled between Shizuru's breasts, which she found made quite a good pillow. The last thing she heard before she drifted off was a loving giggle.

* * *

**Author's Note: **And there you all go. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Things definitely won't be ending here, but I will be taking a bit of a break to work on other projects. We'll be back here soon enough, though, so don't worry! 


	7. Sleeping Angel

**Author's Note:** And I'm back! Sorry for everyone who's been kept waiting on this story, but I hope the two oneshots I released in the interim helped stave off some of the withdrawal. I also got some more work done on the next chapter of Ascension, but the release on that one still depends on Cazzy getting some free time and being in the mood for it specifically (she has a lot of stories on her plate right now, if you haven't noticed).

A couple quick comments on the last chapter: Yeah, I know Shizuru didn't end up doing quite as much to Natsuki as Natsuki did to her, but there was a reason for that. Her problem was that she'd already done far too good a job at getting Natsuki aroused with her letters and their constant embracing. There was quite a bit more she wanted to do, definitely, but she figured that Natsuki might have come a bit too soon if she'd taken the time. She wanted to be able to actually go all the way their first time, without it ending prematurely. Of course, she'll have lots of other chances to do everything she wants.

Just a little warning, this chapter is unbetaed, though I've looked over it myself. I apologize for any mistakes that are left in, but I wanted to get this out by the 25th, and I didn't want to pressure my beta into working over Christmas Eve.

* * *

**Title: **Perchance to Dream

**Rating: **M

**Chapter 7: **Sleeping Angel

* * *

It took a bit of squirming around, but Natsuki eventually found the perfect position as she embraced Shizuru. Her arms and legs remained wrapped around Shizuru, and her head was nestled in between Shizuru's breasts, using her right one as a pillow. Shizuru couldn't help but giggle from seeing her girlfriend choosing such an intimate position; it showed just how open she was at this moment, not a thought of modesty or embarrassment on her mind.

Natsuki drifted off to sleep almost immediately upon choosing this position. To Shizuru, this was perhaps the most intimate gesture possible from the girl. She was opening herself up completely in her sleep, making herself vulnerable to anything Shizuru might wish to do. She was no longer afraid of Shizuru taking advantage of her in her sleep. She'd even given her girlfriend explicit permission to kiss her anytime she was asleep.

Shizuru took advantage of this permission now. She couldn't reach Natsuki's lips without bothering the girl, so she settled for planting a kiss on the top of her head. She inhaled the scent of Natsuki's hair as she did so, reveling in her essence. She was a bit sweaty from the exertion of their lovemaking, but she still smelled just as heavenly as ever.

Shizuru brought her head back up and laid it on the pillow, bent just enough so that she could look down at Natsuki. The girl was so angelic in her sleep. Her usual gruff exterior was completely gone. All that was left was a perfectly innocent, adorably cute girl. It was the sight that had caused Shizuru to lose control of her impulses back during the Carnival. Natsuki was at her most adorable when she was asleep, and it was a true blessing that she now allowed Shizuru to not only see her in this state, but be in a naked embrace with her as she did so.

_Ara, it's almost too much._ A wave of sadness hit Shizuru. It was still hard, sometimes, to believe that this was all real. After all she'd done to Natsuki, it was hard to feel like she truly deserved the pure pleasure of moments like these. The girl was truly an angel to be able to forgive her and come so far so fast in opening herself up. Natsuki's love was the best thing that had ever happened to Shizuru, and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to make herself worthy of it.

"We need to talk, Shizuru."

Shizuru's mind's eye lifted out of her body, and she found herself standing over the bed. The adorable sight of Natsuki's sleeping face made her unconsciously let out a whimper as it came into her view. She allowed herself to gaze at it for another minute before she rose her head to the source of the voice. Her cheeks immediately reddened as she realized that Dream Natsuki was standing before her completely naked, not making any attempt to cover up her body. "Ara ara…"

"Oh come on," Natsuki said, rolling her eyes. "You're just as naked as I am, you know."

Looking down at herself, Shizuru realized this was true. It didn't bother her, though. She quite enjoyed the thought of Natsuki looking over her naked body. "Ara, it's just that Natsuki is usually so modest. It's still a bit new for her to let me see her body without any attempt to cover it up."

Natsuki chuckled a bit at this. "Just wait until tomorrow…"

"Tomorrow?"

A shrug. "Oh, just knowing you and, well, kind of _being_ Natsuki, something tells me you'll be seeing a lot more of her body once the two of you wake up, not to mention feeling and tasting a lot more of it."

Shizuru blushed again at the blatant suggestion. It seemed that living in Shizuru's mind had taught Dream Natsuki quite a bit about the art of teasing, and just what methods worked best on Shizuru. She idly wondered if the real Natsuki would ever figure that much out about her. Perhaps in time, though hopefully she'd never develop an immunity to Shizuru's teasing.

"But as I said, we need to talk," Natsuki reminded Shizuru, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I heard what you were thinking there. What's with all this nonsense about you not deserving me?"

"Oh," Shizuru said. She dropped her gaze from Natsuki's face. Finding that staring at her naked breasts wasn't any more comfortable, she averted her gaze off to the side. At an impatient grunt from Natsuki, she realized that an explanation was required. "Well, I guess it's just hard to get out of my mind all the times I took advantage of you. Even though you forgave me for it all, it still feels like it's all hanging over my head."

Shizuru heard a sympathetic sigh from close by, and she felt her chin being cupped by Natsuki, who'd somehow exploited the loose physics of the dream world to instantly move next to her. The girl pulled her face around to look directly into her eyes. "Would it help if I used up the other three coupons?" she asked, her voice and eyes full of concern. "That would be one less excuse you could use for us not being even."

"I guess," Shizuru said, a bit reluctantly. She brought a hand up to remove Natsuki's from her chin. She wasn't going to try to hide her face from the girl again. "But I don't know if my guilt can go away that easily."

"Well, it's a start," Natsuki said. "Be sure to tell the real me about this a bit later, okay? I'm sure I'll do my best to help you out. But please, I really wish you wouldn't feel so guilty. You've done so many good things for me out of love." She leans forwards to give Shizuru's lips a soft kiss. When their lips met, Shizuru's world immediately contracted to simply their two mouths and the delightful feelings Natsuki was eliciting in her. "Tonight comes to mind," she whispered as their lips parted, far too soon.

"I was only repaying the favor…" Shizuru said weakly. The kiss had sent her mind into the daze Natsuki's sweet gestures always did. It seemed a bit odd that a dream was affecting her this much, but she wasn't going to complain.

"How can I get it through your head that you deserve happiness?" Natsuki said with a frustrated sigh. Her eyes looked imploringly at Shizuru's for a moment before another idea seemed to come to her. "Okay, what about this: Look at all the emotional trauma you and I were put through thanks to the Carnival. After all the pain and heartbreak of that, don't you think you deserve to be happy in the aftermath?"

Shizuru shook her head. "No, I was responsible for too much of that pain myself…"

"Baka!" Natsuki said, cutting her off with a glare. Shizuru had thought she'd developed an immunity to Natsuki's glare, but this one froze her to her core. "The Obsidian Lord and the First District were the ones who caused it all. They're the ones who set up the whole mess in the first place, forcing all the HiME to kill each other and feeding off of their pain and suffering. You and I were just victims of it. I don't blame you for anything you did. Not in the slightest. It even feels good that you cared for me so much, and it hurts me too that I put you through such pain by rejecting you. Why can't you let go of that pain?"

Shizuru was stunned by the torrent of emotion Natsuki was letting out. It was obviously still hurting her to see Shizuru hanging onto her guilt. "Natsuki… do you really feel this way? I mean… the real you?"

Natsuki was silent for a moment, and her facial expression slowly relaxed from the frustrated anger she'd just shown. "I think so. The real me doesn't see into your soul quite so much, but I know she'll feel the same way if she can catch the flashes of guilt you let slip through. You won't be able to hide it from her forever, you know. And you really should just be talking this through with her anyways."

Shizuru took a deep breath. "Alright. For Natsuki's sake, I'll try to get over my guilt."

Natsuki smiled at her. "Thank you, Shizuru." She brought her hand up to Shizuru's shoulder and lightly traced her fingers down along her arm. "One more thing I wanted to talk with you about."

Shizuru suppressed a moan of pleasure at Natsuki's torturous touch. However, her attempts to suppress her reactions resulted in a whimper escaping when Natsuki's hand came around to gently cup her breast. "Does it have something to do with you trying to get me aroused?" she managed to pant out.

"As a matter of fact…" Natsuki's fingers gave Shizuru's nipple a quick pinch, eliciting a gasp from Shizuru as a bolt of pleasure shot through her body. "It does. I want you to tell me…" Her other hand came up to play with Shizuru's other breast. "Are you getting any… interesting impulses or fantasies right now?"

Shizuru bit her lip as she tried not to get too worked up by Natsuki's caresses. She wasn't sure she wanted to get into this right now, but there didn't seem to be much she could do. She wasn't in charge of her dreams right now. Though, maybe she just wasn't trying. Shizuru tried to pull her hands up to grab Natsuki's wrists and stop her distracting motions so she could focus on the conversation, but she found that they weren't responding to her.

In an instant, the world around her shifted. Shizuru found herself lying on her back on a four-poster bed. Her arms and legs were spread out, her wrists and ankles each handcuffed to one of the posts. Natsuki was on top of her, sitting on Shizuru's pelvis while her hands played with Shizuru's breasts.

As the scenery shifted, a smile spread across Natsuki's face. "I thought so," she said, resuming her ministrations of Shizuru's breasts.

A blush spread to Shizuru's face at her current predicament. As soon as the fantasy of being restrained by Natsuki occurred to her, she'd found herself experiencing it in her dream. Maybe she did have some control, even if that control led to her letting Natsuki take over. Taking a steadying breath, she was able to pant out through the periodic bursts of pleasure, "What… is this… Natsuki?"

"Heh," Natsuki said, smiling a mischievous grin at her. "Remember last week when I talked about the work I did in taming your… let's call it your more animalistic side? Well, I just wanted to see how the two of you were getting along. I was a bit worried that she might lead to some darker impulses in you, but I didn't notice any of that."

Natsuki removed her hands from Shizuru's breasts and came up to give the restrained a girl a sweet kiss. As they parted, she continued, "Now, the alternative to that was that she'd latch onto your more sexual side, and start feeding you some interesting fantasies. I'm not too surprised that she started to like being tied up after the work I did with her, but I suspect she'll also have quite a thing for more dominant fantasies."

At the simple suggestion of dominant fantasies, an image of Natsuki tied up on her bed and completely at her mercy flashed through Shizuru's mind._Dominant indeed…_

Natsuki tilted her head at Shizuru, and Shizuru got the sudden sensation that the girl could read her thoughts. "What do you know, I guessed right." Another blush filled Shizuru's face at the realization that her mind was completely exposed to this girl – even if this Natsuki was just another part of her own mind.

A sudden sensation of freedom filled Shizuru. Finding that the restraints on her wrists had disappeared, Shizuru instinctively brought her arms around Natsuki's back to hold onto her. She smiled up at the girl. "Thank you, Natsuki, for helping me sort out all of these things."

Natsuki chuckled at this. "Of course, Shizuru. That's what dreams are for, after all. It's also one of the many things a girlfriend is for." Natsuki brought her hands up to hold Shizuru's head, allowing her body to come to rest lying on top of Shizuru's. She gazed into Shizuru's eyes as she continued, the mischievous glint in her own returning. "And of course, I know that the real Natsuki isn't going to be able to handle all of your fantasies right away. So if anything is really bugging you, I'll be happy to help you out there."

"Ara?" Shizuru said. "What happened to Dream Natsuki being so reluctant to do anything with me until Real Natsuki did?"

"Meh. I just didn't want to spoil your first time with her," Natsuki explained. Her gaze softened into loving adoration for Shizuru as she said this. The sight of love in Natsuki's eyes made Shizuru's heart jump in her chest. "I'm also a little limited in what sensations I can provide you with before you've experienced them in reality, sadly. So I won't be able to help you out completely with all of your fantasies, but I should be able to help take the edge off until Natsuki is ready."

With a thankful smile, Shizuru brought her head up to give Natsuki a quick kiss. "Dream Natsuki is too sweet." A sudden wet feeling on her nipple grabbed Shizuru's attention. It felt very much like Natsuki was kissing it, though her mouth was nowhere nearby. "And she seems to have developed a second mouth. I didn't know I fantasized about that, but I guess it could come in handy."

"Hmm? I'm not…" Natsuki trailed off, and an amused smile formed on her face. "Something tells me you might want to wake up for this."

Shizuru barely had time to quirk an eyebrow before the world around her started to fade. As awareness returned to her, she was back on Natsuki's bed, cradling the girl against her breast as she had been when she'd fallen asleep. The biggest difference now was that Natsuki's right hand had taken hold of Shizuru's left breast and brought it to the girl's mouth, where she was lightly suckling on it as she slept.

_Ara… this is just too cute,_ Shizuru thought as she gazed over Natsuki. The suckling was starting to cause a distracting warmth to grow in her chest, but Natsuki's adorable behavior as she slept was worth any amount of discomfort. Being kept up all night by Natsuki doing cute things in her sleep didn't strike Shizuru as a bad prospect at all.

Natsuki didn't seem content to simply kiss Shizuru's breast all night, though. Her head pulled back from the breast, her hand coming in to play with the nipple in her mouth's absence. She squirmed a bit in their embrace, managing to push her head up past Shizuru's breasts. "…zuru…" she mumbled out a soft sound, probably an attempt at her lover's name.

Shizuru let out a soft whimper, Natsuki's cute mumbling and the fondling of her breast overwhelming her desire to be quiet lest she risk waking the girl up. Natsuki's behavior was starting to stir a desire in her chest. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to let her go to sleep without returning the favor. Shizuru hadn't expected Natsuki to enjoy pleasuring her as much as she did doing so to Natsuki, but perhaps she'd underestimated her girlfriend's desire for her.

"Love… zuru…" More mumbled words came out of Natsuki's mouth, their intent sending a wave of warmth through Shizuru's body. Natsuki's face was so cute, sleepily facing towards Shizuru that she just couldn't hold herself back any longer. She brought a hand around to Natsuki's head to gently tilt it backwards a bit more as she tilted her own head down to meet her girlfriend's lips with her own.

Natsuki's lips moved lazily against Shizuru's, but they definitely were responding. It was the first time Shizuru had taken advantage of Natsuki's permission to kiss her in her sleep, and it was truly heartwarming to know that her kiss was welcomed. _If you've come this far, Natsuki, then I really should have no worries. But I'll never forget how much of a blessing you are to me and how lucky I am to finally have you. Thank you so much, Natsuki._

After a minute, Shizuru withdrew her lips from Natsuki's to take a much needed breath of air. Looking down at her lover, Shizuru was pleased to see that she was still sound asleep. This fortunately didn't stop her from mumbling out another "zuru," though, as the sweet love in the girl's voice made Shizuru's heart do leaps in her chest.

It seemed that, in her most innocent state, all Natsuki could think about was Shizuru. There was nothing more Natsuki needed to do to prove her love to Shizuru. Everything from this point on would simply be celebrating and enjoying their love. Apparently, Natsuki had just on her mind as she slept, though, as she proceeded to increase the intensity of her fondling of Shizuru's breast, her squeezes bordering on painful. Her head crept forward and she started gently kissing Shizuru's chest.

Shizuru was frozen with a moment of concern when Natsuki's intent became clear. Was it alright for her to let her girlfriend do this to her while she slept? It wasn't like she was doing it to Natsuki and forcing her into it in her sleep, though at this point she doubted her girlfriend would mind even that. It was probably alright, then. In any case, she just couldn't resist the thought of making love to the sleeping angel that lay in bed with her. If Natsuki was being this sweet, there was no way she could refuse, even if it was in her sleep.

Natsuki seemed to sense as Shizuru relaxed into her ministrations. She began kissing her way down Shizuru's chest, matching the rhythm of Shizuru's panting with her pecks. Eventually, her kisses made their way to the tip of Shizuru's breast, where her hand was still busy massaging the nipple. Her hand released it at last, causing a wave of sweet pain to fill Shizuru's breast as the pressure on it was finally relieved.

Natsuki's mouth started laying kisses over Shizuru's breast, as if she were apologizing for her hand's previous rough treatment of it. Somehow, she was able to find all the spots where the aching was building up, using her kisses to turn the soreness into a pleasant warmth. Eventually she reached the Shizuru's nipple, which had built up quite a bit of pain from Natsuki's earlier pinching. All this pain was released now, pouring out into Natsuki's mouth as Shizuru's body was flooded with warmth.

Shizuru let out a deep moan as she felt her body melting into Natsuki's loving touch. Natsuki had returned to sweetly suckling on her breast, though it was having quite a more significant effect on Shizuru now, in her heightened state of arousal. With her mouth in a steady, loving action, Natsuki's hand took over the work of pushing Shizuru even higher. It trailed its way down Shizuru's side, eliciting a yelp from the girl when it passed over the sensitive spot where her HiME mark had been.

Natsuki's fingers stopped their downward path to circle around this spot, sending a steady stream of pleasure through Shizuru's body. It felt like Natsuki had hooked up an electrical current to the spot, and she was now charging up Shizuru's body with a pleasure just waiting to be released. Shizuru's breath became unsteady as the waves of pleasure started bouncing erratically around her body. It was all she could do to stop herself from crying out loud to release some of the tension, but she couldn't afford to wake Natsuki up now.

This wasn't a concern for Natsuki, however, as she continued building up the sexual charge in Shizuru. It reached the point where Shizuru couldn't possibly hold herself back from moaning, so she bit down on her lips to release her moans as quietly as she could into her mouth. Perhaps the restrained noise filtered down into Natsuki's dreaming mind, as she finally removed her hand from this spot, allowing Shizuru a much needed chance to catch her breath.

Her break wasn't to last long, though, as Natsuki's hand slowly made its way farther down her body. Shizuru barely had time to reflect on how the experience was starting to get a bit surreal – could Natsuki really be doing all of this in her sleep? – before the contact of Natsuki's hand with sensitive, wet flesh made her lose all conscious thought.

Natsuki's previous behavior had gotten Shizuru so aroused that there was no resistance to the entrance of her fingers. They slipped easily into the wet folds of her core, quickly seeking out the tight bundle of nerves contained within. A sharp bolt of pleasure lanced through Shizuru's body as Natsuki's fingers made contact with her clit, causing her to involuntarily let out a yelp. She'd lost enough presence of mind to worry about waking up Natsuki; she could only think about enjoying the ride her lover was taking her on.

It took only a couple of seconds for Natsuki's fingers to massage the nub into an erect state. The constant bursts of pleasure from her motions had Shizuru letting out a moan with every breath. The pleasurable charge Natsuki had built up in her kept growing, forcing her to strain every muscle in her body against an irresistible force. All the while, Natsuki's mouth was gently suckling on Shizuru's nipple, anchoring her in the depths of pleasure. A small part in the back of Shizuru's mind idly wondered how it could be possible for the girl to drive her wild so effortlessly that she remained asleep through all of it.

After what seemed like hours playing with Shizuru's clit between her fingers, Natsuki slowly allowed them to drift deeper into Shizuru's slit. Just as her thumb came in send another jolt of pleasure through Shizuru's clit, she felt Natsuki's fingers start to probe her opening. Shizuru instinctively wrapped her arms across Natsuki's back and pulled her lover tightly into her chest as her fingers made their way inside her body.

Shizuru was so wet that Natsuki was easily able to shove her index and middle fingers in together right away. Their presence gave Shizuru a much-craved feeling of being filled up by her love. When Natsuki's fingers started sliding their way in and out, all the pleasure that had built up in Shizuru started to pulse in rhythm with them. Shizuru felt herself being hit by wave after wave of energy which shot up from Natsuki's fingers, a moan bursting its way out of her mouth with each pulse.

Natsuki's pace gradually picked up, and her fingers thrust deeper into Shizuru. They started to pass over a tender spot deep inside, which forced a wave of shudders through Shizuru with each pass. Soon the speed picked up to the point where Shizuru was shuddering constantly, and the pleasure built up past her ability to handle it.

There was no turning back now. Shizuru knew she had mere moments before she exploded in pleasure. Trying to make the moment perfect, she strained to open her eyes and look down upon the beautiful face of her beloved. Miraculously, Natsuki's face still held an expression of utter bliss as she slept, her lips still wrapped tenderly around Shizuru's nipple.

The image of Natsuki's angelic face imprinted itself on Shizuru's mind as she lost touch with reality. Every nerve in her body exploded with sweet ecstasy, the entire charge within her releasing at once in every direction. A scream tore its way out of her throat as all of her muscles tensed up, her arms squeezing her lover desperately against her.

Shizuru's muscles jerked in periodic bursts as she started to fall back to earth. Everything felt unsteady, but her tight embrace on Natsuki kept her anchored. Her sweet lover helped her drift gently back down, soothing utterances of "zuru" filtering their way into her mind. As she finally bottomed out and her body filled with the sweet warmth of afterglow from her orgasm, the voice started to gain a bit of coherence at last. "…zuru… Shizuru… Shizuru?"

Shizuru glanced down, finding that Natsuki had turned her face upwards, her eyes lazily opening. Apparently the force of her orgasm was enough to finally wake the girl up. Now she was looking up questioningly at Shizuru as her mind tried to piece together what had happened. "Shizuru…" she said after another moment. "Did I just… you…?

The expression on the girl's face was just irresistible. She still looked perfectly cute and innocent after all of the naughty things she'd done to her girlfriend. Shizuru delayed answering her for a few seconds as she leaned her head down to give her lover a kiss of thanks. Natsuki's lips tentatively moved back against hers once they met, though she was obviously still quite sleepy and confused.

Once she pulled back from the kiss, Shizuru gave Natsuki a loving, thankful smile, and answered her question, "Yes you did, Natsuki, and thank you. You started being very sweet in your sleep, and there was no way I could resist you."

"Ah," Natsuki said as a blush made its way to her cheeks. "I thought so. I'm starting to recognize that look in your face." She quirked a lazy smile at Shizuru.

"Ara? And what look is this, Natsuki?"

"Well," Natsuki started to say. She scooted her way up in Shizuru's embrace so she could lay her head on the pillow and look straight into her girlfriend's eyes. "There's that beautiful blush you get, which seems to come most easily when you're aroused. Then there are the tear tracks down your face, and I don't think you have any reason to be upset right now. On top of all that, you just seem to be glowing with happiness."

"Ara…" Shizuru felt a grin spreading its way across her face. "I have reason to be happy, with such a considerate, sweet, and loving girlfriend who's getting to know me so well."

Natsuki gave a sleepy smile back at Shizuru. She moved her head forward to give Shizuru a quick peck on the nose, causing a quick wave of warmth to spread to her cheeks. "And I'd like to get to know you even better, Shizuru. I want to know every little thing about you, and everything I can do to drive you wild."

"Aw, and I'd like to know everything about you too, Natsuki," Shizuru said, and she returned her girlfriend's kiss to the nose. "One thing in particular on my mind right now is: what were you dreaming about just now? And who is this 'Zuru' person you kept mentioning in your sleep?"

Natsuki stuck her tongue out playfully. "Take a wild guess."

"Hmm…" Shizuru brought a finger up to her chin and took her contemplative pose. "Is Natsuki having fantasies about another girl? Natsuki no ikezu!" She put on her hurt expression now. It never failed to tug on Natsuki's heartstrings, even in cases like this where she was obviously joking.

Sure enough, Natsuki winced slightly at Shizuru's expression, but she quickly recovered. "No, I was dreaming about you, Shi_zuru_," she said, sticking her tongue out again. "I found myself in bed with you when I started dreaming, kind of like how we are now. We were chatting and cuddling, and you asked me if I wanted to repay the favor for you. You'd been stroking me quite seductively through the talking, so uh…"

Natsuki's cheeks lit up red as she trailed off, and her eyes dropped from Shizuru's. The cute sight made a smile split across Shizuru's face. It was quite nice to know that Natsuki still had enough modesty left in moments like these that Shizuru wouldn't be denied the sight of her lovely blush. "So Natsuki couldn't resist jumping on her Dream Shizuru?"

"Er, yeah," Natsuki said, her blush deepening. "And I guess that in order to pay you back, my subconscious must have made me do all of that to you in reality as well…"

Shizuru's glee was threatening to overwhelm her. Natsuki had just done too many cute things tonight, and the embarrassed blush as she explained her dream was pushing her over the edge. Shizuru brought a hand up to Natsuki's chin, and after a bit of gentle pressure the girl brought her gaze back up to Shizuru's eyes. "Thank you, Natsuki," she said softly. "You've just fulfilled a fantasy I didn't even know I had."

"N-no problem…" Natsuki said. She seemed to be sinking into a trance under Shizuru's gaze. Shizuru mused that it was quite fair, given how easily Natsuki was able to enchant her when she got it in her mind to. It was just unfortunate that it was so late and they both still needed a good night's sleep, or she might have tried to see if Natsuki was ready to help with another fantasy or two.

That didn't mean she couldn't set things up for the morning, though. "Natsuki?" Shizuru said softly, trying to keep her lover in as much of a trance as possible. "What do you think about making tomorrow all about us? Just you and me all day, to do whatever we want with each other."

Natsuki blinked back at her sleepily. She was probably starting to fall back asleep, which was definitely helping with keeping her under Shizuru's spell. "Yeah…" she said, her word fading into a yawn. As her eyes drifted closed, she pulled herself closer to Shizuru and nestled her head into Shizuru's neck. "I'd like that."

Shizuru brought her hand up and gently stroked Natsuki's hair, trailing her hand down the girl's back a bit before returning it to her head and repeating the process. "Thank you, Natsuki. Sleep well."

"You too," Natsuki mumbled. "Love you …zuru." A light blush formed on Shizuru's cheeks at the sound of Natsuki's new sleepy nickname for her. It might not have much meaning behind it, like other nicknames they might come up with for each other in the future, but it made up for that with cuteness.

"I love you too, Natsuki," she said as she allowed herself to relax into her lover's embrace and drift off to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:**Happy holidays, everybody! I tried to write an extra-cute scene for you all as my gift for the season, and as a little compensation for keeping everyone waiting for an update to this fic. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll be able to wait until I come out with next chapter for Natsuki and Shizuru's special day together (or at least, the first part of it). 


	8. Magic Hands

**Author's Note: **I am so sorry for the long wait in getting back to this fic, but I hope you found my little diversion to be as entertaining as I did (and don't worry, I'll be finishing it up soon). I also took a little time to work on chapter 2 of Ascension, and it's up to centauri2002 to do her share now before we can get it out. So bug her if you must, but be nice; she's a friend, and there's a lot going on in her life right now.

Beyond those excuses, I just haven't been writing as much the past week. My usual muse has been disconnected from the internet, so I've slowed down. Adding to the wait was the fact that this is the longest chapter I've written so far, coming in at over 10,000 words. Hopefully the length, in addition to some of the content, will make up for the wait.

I've also decided to move Japanese notes to the bottom, rather than cluttering the top any more. So just scroll down there if you need to. Note that I'm not repeating any terms I've defined in the past, but feel free to simply ask if you've forgotten any rather than diving through past chapters.

Much thanks to my friend Maarika for betaing this while my regular beta is busy with real life.

**Beta's Notes:** The Internet is spelled with a capital "I". ;P Also, this thing is long!

* * *

**Title: **Perchance to Dream 

**Rating: **M

**Chapter 8: **Magic Hands

* * *

_You're so beautiful, Shizuru. I can completely understand now why you love watching me sleep so much. You look so precious while you're doing it. You're so serene, so peaceful. Your face is a mask of perfect beauty right now, and the smile on it is one of the cutest I've ever seen on you. And I put it there, didn't I?_

_I'm willing to bet you had much the same effect on me while I slept last night. I know my dreams were certainly a lot more peaceful than usual. You already know about one of them, but the others were just as fun. That nightmare I mentioned didn't pop up at all. I don't think I'm over it permanently, but sleeping with you like this at least pushed it from my mind for one night._

_We'll have to deal with that soon. Maybe today would be a good chance, if we're just going to focus on us and our relationship today. Though I guess we might need a chance to buy some, er, supplies for it… Ugh, okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Okay, new plan: I bring up the issue with you somehow, maybe by showing you this journal – I did promise last night to let you know all about me, so it's probably time to let you in on this – and suffer through however much teasing it takes to get you to go out and get them yourself._

_Bleh, I'm really not that good at this scheming. You always seem to make it look so effortless. But then again, you make pretty much everything look effortless. Even last night, when I'd thought it would be a near-impossible task for you to get me to open myself up completely to you, you'd turned me into jelly in your arms before I'd finished reading your letters. The only time I've ever seen you sweat was when I was, er… you know… to you._

_Hmm, for some reason that thought is rather enticing. And seeing you lying there, sleeping so beautifully, your bare breasts heaving with every breath… Gah! I really have to learn to control myself. I'm not used to having all these urges. You must think I'm some sort of sex maniac with the way I've been going after you the past week. I even ended up molesting you in my sleep! I'm definitely falling in love with you, Shizuru. I know I already said I loved you, but it looks like there's further to fall._

_Oh yes, that reminds me, I've been thinking a bit about nicknames and such, after you pointed out my muttering of "Zuru" last night. While that one's good for when I'm sleepy and can't get out the "shi," I think I need something a little better for you. In one of my dreams last night, I used something for you which I think is just perfect. Hopefully it'll get a little flutter in your heart whenever you hear it._

_Anyways, I'm going to be off to shower and freshen up now. We'll of course talk later, and hopefully I'll remember to let you read this today, if you aren't too distracting._

---

Natsuki closed up her journal and slipped it into her "hiding place" under her bed. It was neither the most inventive hiding place nor the most secure, but she'd never really been that concerned about it being found out. She had the dorm to herself – at least until the fall term hit and more students started needing rooms – and Shizuru was the only one likely to be snooping around, which wasn't really much of a concern.

Natsuki gave her girlfriend another glance before she got off of the bed. She really was extraordinarily beautiful, especially in her sleep. Deciding that she just couldn't resist any longer, Natsuki tentatively bent her face down to just in front of Shizuru's. She wanted to let her girlfriend remain sleeping peacefully, but she just couldn't go any longer without kissing those precious lips. But she'd ended up waking Shizuru when she'd done that last week, so she resolved to try to be gentle right now and just give her a quick kiss, rather than start making out with her.

It was harder than she'd expected, but Natsuki managed it. She let her lips come in contact with Shizuru's lightly, gave a little suction to make sure it qualified as a kiss, and gently withdrew. The feeling of Shizuru's soft, sweet lips made Natsuki wish she could stick around to relish them some more, but she resisted the urge. Shizuru could use the sleep so she could be fully energized for the day ahead of them.

Giving the object of her affection a small smile, Natsuki whispered to her, "Sleep well, love. You'll need the rest to deal with your sex maniac of a girlfriend today." Natsuki chuckled lightly to herself as she left for the bathroom. The nickname of "love" certainly felt right, though describing herself as a sex maniac definitely didn't. _I'm just in love, and trying to deal with a suddenly unleashed libido,_ Natsuki tried to justify to herself. _Besides, it's partly Shizuru's fault anyways for being so damn sexy!_

She let out a sigh and shook her head as she made her way into the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror for a bit, trying to look at her naked body as Shizuru saw her. Although her breasts weren't quite as big as her girlfriend's, they still were a fair bit larger than average. They also seemed to be just about the perfect size to fit with the curves of the rest of her body, she reluctantly noted.

Natsuki had done quite a lot of work keeping herself in shape, and it showed. Her muscles weren't very prominent, but they were quite firm, and they seemed to flow into the natural curves of her body perfectly, without making her look too masculine. She turned around so she could look over her shoulder to inspect her backside in the mirror. Shizuru hadn't seen her naked from that angle yet, so she wanted to make sure she'd appreciate it.

Trying to imagine that she was looking at the body of someone other than herself –_Shizuru_, her subconscious immediately suggested – Natsuki tried to judge just how sexy she looked from this angle. As soon as she superimposed Shizuru's face over her reflection, a wave of heat erupted from her loins, answering her question in no uncertain terms. She turned back to give the front of her own body the same test, and the result was even more definite.

So that was it then; she was sexy, whether she'd ever admit it or not. And yet Shizuru had done an incredible job of resisting her so far. Did the girl just not care about sex that much? It didn't seem to fit in with how she pictured Shizuru. She'd certainly taken full advantage of the little opportunities she'd had in the past to push the limits with Natsuki. But she was holding herself back a lot better now.

She'd probably had to hold herself back a lot before they'd gotten together, even though she'd slipped up on a couple of occasions. _I guess Shizuru's just good at holding herself back,_ Natsuki mused. _She certainly does that with her emotions most of the time when we aren't alone together. So it probably isn't very hard for her to hold herself back from jumping on me. And she did have a good reason to last week, wanting to make my first time as perfect as possible._

Natsuki smiled to herself. Shizuru had certainly succeeded last night. She resolved to herself to thank her girlfriend for that when she woke up, and maybe even give her a little reward. She would have to be submissive for this reward, however, to make sure Shizuru didn't keep worrying about holding herself back. The gates were open now for the two of them to try out whatever they wanted with each other now; Natsuki just hoped Shizuru would start to take advantage of it.

Giving her arms a nice stretch, Natsuki walked over to the shower, leaned in, and started the water. She waited a few seconds for the water to warm up before she walked into it and drew the curtain behind her. The flood of water over her body was nice, but she couldn't help but compare it to the feeling of Shizuru embracing her. Needless to say, the water came up far behind.

Natsuki let out a sigh as she dipped her head back to wet her hair in the stream of water. She'd barely been apart from Shizuru for five minutes, and already her thoughts were finding any excuse possible to drift back to her. She really needed to get used to spending time apart from her girlfriend. The problem was, she just didn't want to. She still wished she could spend even more time with Shizuru. It was going to be torture come tomorrow evening when they'd both be forced to retire to their own homes.

Natsuki paused in her motions as her mind started to converse with itself, disconnecting from reality around her. _But does it really have to be that way? Why can't I just stay over at Shizuru's house – or have her stay here – and just make sure I set the alarm or something to get up early enough for class? I'm sure Shizuru would understand, and she'd probably prefer being woken up a bit early to not having me there._

_No, wait,_ her mind countered back. _Wouldn't that mean you're living together then? You can't do that this soon! You're still barely a couple._

_Barely? We're in love with each other and we've repeatedly made love to each other. And I can't possibly imagine our relationship changing. Besides, it doesn't really have to be official or anything. It can just be that I sleep over with her often, and I can keep the dorm if I need it._

_Oh come on! What happened to being afraid to rely on anyone else? You know that everyone else has just left you. Your mother betrayed you and ended up getting killed for it, and your father abandoned you to just send money in place of any actual love. You can't go leading yourself into that kind of pain again; your heart just won't take it._

_Oh, fuck you!_ she cursed the voice in her head. _Shizuru doesn't count, and you damn well know that. I tried things your way for years, and I just ended up holding myself back from happiness and hurting others. I thought I'd finally gotten rid of in the Carnival when I was able to accept Shizuru's feelings, but if I have to kill you off now, I will. I'll show you a thing or two. I'm going to allow myself to trust Shizuru and rely on her. There is no way I'm letting you hold me back from moving in with her._

No reply was forthcoming, and Natsuki allowed herself a small victorious smile as she came back to the real world. She turned around to pick up the shampoo, but the sight of a shadowy figure behind the curtain sent a shock through her body. She let out a cry of alarm and jolted in surprise as her arms instinctively shot up to cover her body. In the moment before Shizuru drew the curtain and stepped into the shower with her, Natsuki had just enough time to muse about how her instincts had her worrying more about modesty than defense, as they would have just a few weeks ago.

"Ara ara," Shizuru said as she came into the shower. She made no effort at all to hide her body as she allowed the water to drift down over her – she even seemed to relish showing it off to Natsuki. Natsuki found herself instinctively backing away to make room for her girlfriend, though there was barely enough in there for the two of them to stand comfortably. "Natsuki is so cute when she's all flustered and modest."

Natsuki pressed herself back against the wall and tightened her grasp of her body as Shizuru's lustful gaze bore into her. She focused her gaze directly downwards to try to hide the blush she knew was forming in her face. "Baka…" she said weakly. "You really should learn to knock, Shizuru…"

"Ara?" Shizuru said. "But it's not like Natsuki has anything left to hide from me. I've already seen all the best bits of her, and I can see them again anytime I wish just by closing my eyes." Shizuru paused for a moment. "Ah yes, there we go. Ara… so beautiful and sexy…"

Natsuki shrunk even further under Shizuru's teasing. She could feel that her blush had completely filled her face by now and was leaking its way down her neck and into her chest. She'd been fine with Shizuru seeing her last night, and even a few minutes ago when she was imagining it, but under the barrage of her teasing, it was just too much.

_Baka. I told you that you couldn't do it. How do expect to be able to live with her when you can't even bear being casually naked around her? You know she's going to be doing this every single day if you live together._

_Quiet you,_ Natsuki reprimanded the voice in her head. A wave of determination hit her to prove that voice wrong. Taking a breath to steel herself, she slowly moved her arms away from her body to expose it to Shizuru. With another breath, she tilted her head back up to face Shizuru, prepared to endure having her body lustily appraised by her girlfriend.

It turned out that she didn't have to, though. Shizuru was gazing straight back into her eyes. The look on her face seemed to mix relief and pride. After a moment it softened into an expression that Natsuki recognized as her "Natsuki is too sweet" expression, though she didn't utter the words now. The sight of it made pride swell up within Natsuki. Pleasing Shizuru had just topped the list of goals for her life, she realized.

Now that the stun from Shizuru walking in on her had worn off, Natsuki realized something else as well: Shizuru was doing just what she'd been worried about a few minutes ago, making the first move towards her. Sure, it had been in a teasing manner, but what did she really suspect with Shizuru? But she'd started to slow down to match Natsuki's pace now – she'd just been standing patiently under the water as Natsuki adjusted to being in the shower with her.

_Always waiting for me. Well, I'm here now, Shizuru. You can stop waiting._ Natsuki pushed herself off from the wall and walked up to Shizuru, not stopping until her body was pressed right up against her lover's. She wrapped her hands around the back of Shizuru's neck and pulled the girl's face in to meet her lips. Shizuru's hands soon found their way around her back to hold their bodies together even more tightly.

Everything was softness in Natsuki's world as they shared that kiss. Maybe it was the steam coming up from the shower, but Shizuru's lips seemed to be even softer and sweeter than they usually were. Natsuki dragged her lips over her lover's to relish all the sensations from them as a gentle warmth built up in her chest.

The feeling of the rest of Shizuru's body against hers was just the icing on the cake. The water flowing down over Shizuru's shoulders cascaded between their bodies, and it seemed to make Shizuru's breasts even smoother and softer than usual. Natsuki had to resist the urge to bring a hand down from Shizuru's neck to feel them, but she didn't want to escalate things quite yet – she was still hoping Shizuru would be the one to do that – so she contented herself with the feeling of them pressed up against her own breasts.

As she was about to run low on air, Natsuki pulled her head off to the side, regretfully breaking the kiss. A smile tugged at her lips when she heard a soft moan come from Shizuru – oh, how she'd allowed herself to open up emotionally since they'd become a couple! Natsuki had no intention of moving away, though, and she rested her head on Shizuru's shoulder. Shizuru's own head followed her example after only a second.

After a few moments of relishing the embrace, Natsuki decided it was time to speak up and get some of her thoughts out to her girlfriend. She started out simply. "Thank you, Shizuru," she said.

"For what, Natsuki?" Shizuru's tone of voice fortunately didn't hold the tone of guilt it might have had, thinking that she'd done nothing worth being thanked for. It was more along the lines of being curious as to what exactly Natsuki had in mind with her thanks.

"For everything," Natsuki explained. She allowed her hands to drift down Shizuru's body, and she started lightly stroking her girlfriend's back. The water running down from it made it so smooth and pleasant to the touch. "But particularly last night. It was just perfect, better than I'd ever imagined. I'll always cherish that memory, and the fact that I could share my first time with you, who I also plan to share my last time with."

Shizuru's arms clenched tighter around Natsuki as she uttered the last words. She knew she might have been looking too far into the future, being more certain than was warranted, but she didn't care. At that moment she couldn't imagine ever being with anyone other than Shizuru. After a moment, Shizuru replied, her voice straining with glee, "Ara, Natsuki…"

"Also, Shizuru," Natsuki continued, "thank you for this. Please don't be afraid to push me a little, make the first move. I need it sometimes if we're going to move forwards. There are a few things that will still be hard for me, but I'll let you know then. Don't you dare worry in advance. You need to be the adventurous one; I just don't think I'll be able to handle more than the rare burst of inspiration."

Shizuru was silent for a bit. Eventually, she withdrew her hands from around Natsuki's back and lightly pushed herself out of the hug. She looked directly into Natsuki's eyes, as if scanning them for any trace of hesitance or deceit. "Natsuki really wants this?"

"Of course I do, love," Natsuki said, letting a smile cross her face and seep into her eyes. She'd slipped in her new nickname to test it out what Shizuru thought of it, and the girl's face almost immediately lit up. Natsuki wasn't quite sure if it was from the nickname or the sentiment of her statement, though. She peered into her love's eyes for a moment, and her instincts read the twinkle present in them as meaning that she did indeed appreciate the nickname.

"So then," Shizuru said, a playful smile forming on her face which caused Natsuki's heart to flutter, "would Natsuki like to shower with me?"

Even if she hadn't already tacitly agreed to do just this, Natsuki just wouldn't have been able to resist Shizuru at that moment. The playful look on her face, the hopeful tone in voice, and the nature of just what she was requesting made it irresistible. Natsuki was barely able to hold herself back from squealing with glee as her mind started to run wild with what they were about to do. "You bet I would," she said.

A giggle broke out from Shizuru's mouth and she clapped her hands together in glee, tilting her head against them. Natsuki had seen her strike that pose on a couple other occasions when she was putting on a mask of happiness, but she wasn't wearing any mask now – _or anything else for that matter_, the perverted part of Natsuki's mind reminded her. This was simply Shizuru in a rare moment of letting her true happiness pour out, for Natsuki's eyes only. It was quite the sight, and her giddiness was infectious.

"So," Shizuru said, a huge grin on her face, "has Natsuki shampooed yet?"

Natsuki ran her mind back to before Shizuru had gotten into the shower. She'd frozen in thought as she was wetting her hair, so she'd never gotten around to shampooing. She shook her head. "Not yet."

"Then may I?" Shizuru asked, giving Natsuki her best puppy-dog eyes.

Natsuki had been hoping Shizuru might go for something a bit more intimate right away, but she did still need to wash her hair. No reason they couldn't work upwards, though, and she intended to make sure this shower was as intimate as possible. "Only if I can wash your hair as well."

This seemed to be just the answer Shizuru was looking for. She took out her hand and motioned for Natsuki to turn around. "Alright, but Natsuki first, since she's been in here longer."

Natsuki rolled her eyes playfully, though she obeyed Shizuru. "Yes, love." Shizuru let out an unconscious squeak of joy at the use of her new nickname, leaving Natsuki with no doubts that she appreciated it.

After a moment, Natsuki felt Shizuru's gently meet the top of her head. They started gently massaging her scalp, working the shampoo in. Natsuki tilted her head back slightly to help give Shizuru a better angle and to make sure shampoo didn't start dripping into her eyes. Shizuru certainly took advantage of this position, and it wasn't long before she'd been able to elicit a moan of pleasure from Natsuki.

It was really amazing what Shizuru was able to do with the gentle motions of her fingers. Ever since the incident in the lingerie store when Shizuru had nearly brought Natsuki to orgasm while under the guise of helping her try on a bra, Natsuki had mentally referred to them as Shizuru's "magic hands." She'd feared them for quite a while, as they were one of the few things that had been able to break through all of her defenses, and with such ease at that.

But Shizuru had held herself in check since that incident, and it wasn't until a week ago, when she'd finally decided that she loved Shizuru that she once again experienced their touch. Of course, Shizuru had just used them as part of her teasing then, trying to push the limits of how much Natsuki would allow her to touch her, but they just felt too good to ask her to stop. In the end though, Natsuki needed to make sure the night was about Shizuru, and she'd ended up being left wanting for more of their touch – whether she'd ever admit it aloud or not.

And now, finally, she'd been able to let those hands take her all the way. Shizuru was now completely free to use them on her at will, just as she was right now. Even though she was working on one of the least sensitive parts of Natsuki's body, somehow she still managed to make it a heavenly experience. Natsuki almost didn't want it to end, but eventually it had to, as Shizuru had done all she could do with both the shampoo and conditioner now. Perhaps she'd still help with rinsing out the conditioner later, but in the meantime, Natsuki had a chance to return the favor.

Turning back to Shizuru, Natsuki motioned for her girlfriend to turn around as she had. She reached for her bottle of shampoo and paused as she considered Shizuru's hair. "Is this brand alright with you, Shizuru? I'm not sure quite what you use to make your hair so soft."

Shizuru gave off a light chuckle. Even facing away from Natsuki and in the poor acoustics of the shower, it still sounded unbelievably melodic. "Ara, your shampoo is quite alright, Natsuki. And you don't need to worry about the conditioner, either. My hair is quite well-behaved on its own."

Natsuki furrowed her brow as she squirted out shampoo and started massaging it into Shizuru's hair. "I'm not buying it," she said after a bit. "That's just too perfect hair to be natural."

As they talked, Natsuki tried as hard as she could to give Shizuru the same heavenly experience she'd been given, but she knew she was going to come up short. She just didn't have that miraculous knack for it that Shizuru did. Her saving grace in her last few encounters with Shizuru had been the other girl's glee at the nature of the situation – simply the fact that Natsuki was trying and was touching her like that helped Shizuru out a lot, she was sure. She was trying her best to improve though. She kept careful track of what felt good when Shizuru did it, and she paid attention to what her lover seemed to enjoy as well. Since Shizuru was likely improving at the same time, it was unlikely she'd ever catch up, but she'd just have to find other ways to make it up to her girlfriend.

She was likely doing something right now, as Shizuru let out a soft moan of pleasure as Natsuki worked in the shampoo. "Natsuki can believe whatever she wants," Shizuru said. "She can see for herself later today."

"Hmph," Natsuki said. Shizuru certainly did have many almost-superhuman features – her skills with her hands came particularly to mind. Was it that hard to believe that she naturally had such lovely hair as well? "I guess we'll see," she decided. Seeing that the shampoo was lathered about as much as it was going to get, Natsuki gently prodded Shizuru to get her to turn around so they could rinse it out.

Natsuki's breath caught in her throat as Shizuru turned around for her. She'd dropped her gaze down, not thinking about what part of Shizuru's body she'd be facing, resulting in her ending up with an eyeful of her love's naked body. She'd been too distracted by her own nudity when it was exposed to her before to pay it much attention, but now that was off of her mind and Shizuru had helped to get her into mood. As a result, the sight of Shizuru's body was now adding to the building heat within Natsuki, and she couldn't take her eyes away from it.

"Ara, has Natsuki found something she likes?" Shizuru teased gently, having caught Natsuki in the act of ogling her body.

Unfortunately for Shizuru, Natsuki was too mesmerized to realize she was supposed to be embarrassed and blush. "Yeah…" she said dreamily. Even Shizuru's laughter at her response didn't manage to make her blush, as it just resulted in an enchanting bouncing of her chest.

"Then maybe would Natsuki like to help me wash that as well?" Shizuru said. It wasn't much of a tease, as Natsuki was more than eager to assist in that task. The prospect of seeing that lovely body all soaped up was just irresistible. Though maybe that was precisely Shizuru's goal. Natsuki decided that she didn't care, and she quickly turned to pick up the soap so she could get to work.

Unfortunately, Shizuru just couldn't help but land yet another tease. As Natsuki had turned to grab the soap, Shizuru had turned around once again to present her back to her girlfriend. "Ah, thank you so much, Natsuki," Shizuru said. "It's so hard to reach some of the spots back there."

Natsuki growled softly. She knew full well that Shizuru was playing with her, but there wasn't much she could do about it. An idea briefly occurred to her when she remembered that she hadn't helped Shizuru rinse her hair out yet, and maybe she could get the girl to turn around for that. But nope, Shizuru had apparently done it herself while Natsuki was distracted with her body. She must have been planning this from the start.

With a sigh of defeat, Natsuki lathered the soap up between her hands and started spreading it over Shizuru's back. She contemplated how she could best get back at Shizuru as she did this, but didn't come up with anything quite good enough. She just wasn't a match for the teasing prowess of the great Fujino Shizuru.

However, Natsuki did have one other tactic up her sleeve. Shizuru wasn't very easy to tease, but Natsuki did have a pretty good track record when it came to trying to get a blush out of her through quite a different method. Natsuki gave this a try right now, allowing her fingers to gently trace down Shizuru's sides. A stiff gasp from the girl informed her that she'd hit home.

Biting her lips to stifle her laughter, Natsuki crouched down to start working on soaping up the backs of Shizuru's legs. She kept her movements as slow and sensuous as possible, allowing herself to delight in the feeling of how miraculously soft Shizuru's muscles were. It was amazing how their bodies worked differently. While Natsuki's muscles tightened up and solidified her form as she worked on them, Shizuru's seemed to somehow stay delightfully soft to the touch, even though Natsuki knew from experience that they were quite powerful.

Finally, Natsuki worked her way up to a part of Shizuru's body she'd been curious about ever since she'd discovered just how delightfully soft her girlfriend was. For both her own sake and Shizuru's, she'd saved it for last – at least on this side of her body. Natsuki lathered up the soap vigorously between her hands before dropping the bar to the floor so it wouldn't get in her way. And then she dove in.

Shizuru let out a soft sigh of contentment almost as soon as Natsuki grabbed her butt. If Natsuki hadn't been listening specifically for a sign of pleasure from the girl, she wouldn't have been able to hear it over the running water. Although this was nice to hear, Natsuki was still hoping for something a little more. She wanted to make sure Shizuru was aroused as possible by the time she was done washing her body so that when it was her turn she'd be in the mood to repay the favor – and a fair bit more, Natsuki was gambling.

Natsuki wasn't able to catch any further signs of contentment from Shizuru by the time she'd finished, but she acknowledged that it was possible the sounds were just drowned out by the shower. Well, she'd be able to work on Shizuru's front next, and that provided ample opportunity to work on arousing the girl. Grabbing the bar of soap off the floor, Natsuki stood up and said, "Alright Shizuru, turn around."

Shizuru did so, and Natsuki saw that she'd had more of an effect on the girl than she'd thought. She was currently straining to repress a smile, and her cheeks were tinged pink from a blush that didn't seem to want to go away. Natsuki gave a mental cheer at being able to provoke this reaction from Shizuru. She allowed a smirk to cross her face as she brought the soap up to the top of Shizuru's chest to see just how much further she could push her girlfriend.

She had no idea what happened to cause it, but Natsuki suddenly realized that not only had the soap disappeared from her hand, but Shizuru had backed a foot away from her. She stared blankly at her hand for a moment before looking up at Shizuru incredulously. There was no way she could have moved that fast. Sure, she might have been a little distracted with her own thoughts, but not _that_ distracted…

"Ara, thank you so much for helping me with my back, Natsuki," Shizuru said. Natsuki shot her gaze up to Shizuru's face and stared at her forlornly. She knew on some level she was just being teased, but that didn't mitigate the fact that Shizuru had already started to work the soap on her own chest, depriving Natsuki of the pleasure, tease or not. "It's always so hard to make sure I get everything back there, and Natsuki is such a good helper."

_Then why couldn't I help with the front…?_ Natsuki's mouth moved silently as she tried to form the words, but her voice just wasn't obeying her. Finally she was able to force out a pathetic pouting noise. Part of her mind finally realized how pathetic she was making herself look, resulting in a blush spreading to her face. It didn't stop her from keeping up the look though; it would be worth the embarrassment if Shizuru would just relent.

"Ara? Is something wrong, Natsuki?" Natsuki gathered enough control over her face to glare at Shizuru. This brought her an amused smirk in return. "Ah, I know. Natsuki was planning to help with the front as well, wasn't she? Natsuki is such a good helper, but I'm quite good, thank you."

Natsuki hopefully reached out to grab the bar of soap from Shizuru, but it slipped from her grasp again as the girl turned to the side, provided her with a tantalizing profile view of her lover. Letting out a low growl, Natsuki focused for a minute so she could regain control of her voice. "Shizuru…" she said. Her girlfriend looked over at her and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "Give me the soap."

She got an amused chuckle for this, but no soap. "Natsuki no hentai," Shizuru scolded. Her face remained looking off to the side, refusing to meet Natsuki's pleading gaze. "I figured Natsuki might have trouble holding herself back. While I really wouldn't mind Natsuki finishing the job, she's just done so much for me over the past week that I can't risk letting her get further ahead."

Shizuru stopped scrubbing herself for a minute as she continued softly, "I just lose control of myself too easily when I feel your touch, Natsuki." The pink tint to her cheeks deepened as she said this, and her head tilted downwards. "And then I'm always so weak and worn out afterwards that I can't think of anything beyond simply holding you. I'll probably be able to work my stamina up eventually, but until then, I'm just going to have to make sure I get to Natsuki first so I'm the one who gets the pleasure of making her girlfriend writhe at her touch. Though I guess you do get some pleasure out of it too, no?"

"Shizuru…" Natsuki reached out her hand to lay it gently on Shizuru's shoulder. It was a relief to know that Shizuru had the intentions she'd been hoping for, but also a little disconcerting that she'd misread her signals. "That was really what I was going for now. I just wanted to make sure you were in the mood for it…"

Shizuru's blush managed to get even deeper, and a smile crept its way across her face. She was truly gorgeous when she blushed this much, it was just a shame that it was so hard to get her to this state. "Hmm, I'm really always in the mood to pleasure Natsuki," Shizuru said. Her eyes flicked over to Natsuki with a quick glance before returning to the floor. "Though I guess a few hints to let me know Natsuki's in the mood too wouldn't be much of a problem. Natsuki should just be warned that the more she works me up the less I'll be able to control myself with her."

_Good to know._ Natsuki took a step closer to Shizuru and brought her other hand up to Shizuru's chin. She gently applied pressure to it to get Shizuru to face her. "If you ever want to know what I'm in the mood for, Shizuru, just look into my eyes." Shizuru's eyes met hers as she said this. Natsuki let her mood pour out into her eyes. "For instance, this expression means that I want you to take me, Shizuru."

"Natsuki…" Shizuru's voice faded out. She seemed to be at a loss for words, so she just smiled back at Natsuki. The blush on her cheeks remained strong, and Natsuki had to struggle not to swoon at the sight of it.

Holding herself together by keeping in mind that this would all pay off later, Natsuki took another step closer to Shizuru. Her body was pressed right up against the girl's now, but she tried to ignore the feeling of it for a few minutes longer. She removed her hand from Shizuru's chin and slowly reached down to grab the soap. Shizuru made no effort to pull it away from her this time.

Natsuki kept her eyes firmly locked with Shizuru's as she brought the bar of soap to touch Shizuru's chest. Her girlfriend had already washed there, but that wasn't the point. A nervous and somewhat confused look appeared in Shizuru's eyes as Natsuki did this, so she spoke to reassure her lover of her intentions, "And when you see this look and I'm touching you like this…" She illustrated her point by wiping the soap slowly across Shizuru's chest and over the tops of her breasts. "That means I want you to lose control of yourself."

Shizuru didn't say anything further. She simply turned to face Natsuki and let her growing blush and giddy smile speak for themselves. Her eyes seemed to lose focus, and she let out periodic giggles and Natsuki spread the soap over her body. Natsuki had to admit that her girlfriend was simply adorable when she was in a state like this, and she resolved to try to get her into it more often.

But right now, she wanted to take full advantage of the opening Shizuru was giving her. Natsuki could sense that she was actually keeping firm control over herself right now – but it was only so that Natsuki would have the freedom to arouse her even further before she jumped on her girlfriend. Shizuru's right hand was latched onto the railing on the side of the shower while her left had reached up to grasp the curtain rod. They weren't holding on too tightly, but it was apparent she was preparing to do so if she had to. Natsuki was touched with how Shizuru was trying to make sure she had a chance to play around with her first, and she resolved not to let the opportunity go to waste.

Shizuru had already soaped up her breasts, but Natsuki wasn't going to let that stop her from applying a second layer. The sight of the twin orbs covered in soap was just priceless, but the feeling of them was even better. Natsuki took full advantage of her chance to feel the slippery globes, making sure she gave both of them a good working-over. The soap needed to be well lathered up, after all, but more importantly, Shizuru needed to be worked up. A mixture of giggles and moans erupting from the girl let Natsuki know that she was doing a good job at this task.

Keeping her right hand up to further lather up Shizuru's breasts, Natsuki brought the bar of soap down with her left hand to work on the lower half of Shizuru's body, which hadn't yet been soaped up. Shizuru giggled a bit more as Natsuki did this, prompting the girl to look up at her lover's face. The blush on it had spread even further since Natsuki had last checked it, covering almost all of her cheeks right now. It was even rivaling some of those Shizuru was able to invoke in her. Shizuru was definitely enjoying her treatment here, and Natsuki felt confident that she'd soon be quite ready to repay the favor with interest.

Natsuki crouched down so she could work on washing the fronts of Shizuru's legs, regretfully removing her hand from the girl's breasts. However, there were plenty of other nice spots down below she could take advantage of. After some brief consideration, she decided to let it roam around a bit, caressing whatever part of Shizuru's body it happened to land upon while her other hand worked to soap it all up.

She took careful note of the spots that seemed to provoke some extra reaction from Shizuru – either from eliciting some sound or eliciting some reflexive motion. The spot on Shizuru's side where her HiME mark had been was just as sensitive as usual, prompting a sharp gasp as Natsuki's fingers lightly traced over it, but it wasn't the only sensitive spot. Shizuru's waistline also seemed to be a hot spot, judging by the wave of shudders that ran through her body as Natsuki traced her hand across it. Unsurprisingly, Shizuru's inner thighs were also quite sensitive.

Another fortunate discovery of Natsuki's was just how well Shizuru's sides responded to a very light touch as she dragged her fingers along them. This seemed to extend through all of her height, so Natsuki took advantage of this fact to play with the outer sides of her legs a bit. She stroked her fingers downwards from Shizuru's hip until they met her feet, and then she dragged them upwards again. She kept going past Shizuru's hip this time, right until she was about to meet Shizuru's "pleasure button," as she'd mentally termed the former location of her HiME mark.

Shizuru's breath hitched as she prepared for Natsuki's fingers to touch that spot, but Natsuki diverted them at the last second. She quickly circled around the sensitive area and brought her hand around Shizuru's back, gently gripping her butt. Shizuru slowly let out her breath as she was spared that particular torment, and Natsuki thought she could hear an "Ikezu" mixed into it, though it was hard to tell over the sound of the water.

Eventually, Natsuki had finished soaping up Shizuru's lower body. She'd even gotten away with moving the soap over some quite sensitive areas with no protest from Shizuru. She was starting to worry a bit that Shizuru had forgotten she was supposed to be losing control of herself by now. Perhaps another reminder was in order.

Natsuki stood back up, placing the soap down behind her. She took a look at Shizuru's face, which was now completely filled with a blush and still retained the pleased giddiness she'd invoked in her lover earlier. Her eyes had drifted closed, and she bore a contented smile. "Shizuru," Natsuki said gently, getting the girl to open up her eyes and gaze back at her. Natsuki brought her hand up to gently trace her fingers along Shizuru's cheek. She mentally prepared herself for the incoming assault and said, "Take me."

Shizuru wasted no time in acting, though it wasn't in any way Natsuki had expected. The most profound change was in her eyes. They filled with desire, and they seemed to deepen as Natsuki stared into them. They were hungry – Shizuru was hungry – and they seemed to be pulling her in. At that moment, being consumed by Shizuru was exactly what Natsuki wanted, so she gave herself up to the raw desire she saw in her lover.

As soon as Natsuki fell under her power, Shizuru's gaze softened into an expression of love. Her arms slipped in under Natsuki's and wrapped around her back. Natsuki couldn't pinpoint exactly what caused it, but her muscles seemed to lose all strength at that moment. Only Shizuru's support kept her from collapsing to the ground. Maybe it had something to do with the way Shizuru was looking at her. All she knew was that Shizuru seemed to be having some hypnotic effect on her, and she was helpless to resist, even if she wanted to.

Shizuru's lips came in kiss Natsuki's, and she weakly responded. Despite all the work she'd done in getting Shizuru aroused, the girl was still surprisingly calm and gentle. If anything, her kiss was even more loving than usual. Natsuki had been expecting her to go wild and practically attack her when she was given the go-ahead. She'd been wanting to make sure Shizuru finally stopped keeping herself in tight control and let herself loose for her own good.

Perhaps she hadn't quite succeeded in that, but it was too late now. As soon as she'd been given a chance, Shizuru had completely turned the tables on her. She was being driven into an erotic haze of her own, and she was completely under Shizuru's power now. Using the last coherent thought she could manage, Natsuki let out a mental sigh and resolved to try again later. She then gave in completely to Shizuru's passion and let herself melt into her lover's kiss.

Natsuki felt herself being pushed back by Shizuru a bit, and she soon found herself pinned against the wall. With her body now serving the purpose of supporting Natsuki, Shizuru freed her arms and started using them to stroke along her lover's sides. A shiver ran through Natsuki's body at this touch, but the pressure of Shizuru against her kept her secure. Eventually they came to rest just above Natsuki's hips. A gentle tickling above her left hip informed Natsuki that Shizuru's hand was merely a hair's breadth away from touching her own pleasure button.

Shizuru deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into Natsuki's mouth. Natsuki eagerly granted it access and let out a soft moan as she felt it stroking across her own. The tongue circled around her mouth, eliciting pleasure wherever it touched. Natsuki's own tongue slowly started to reciprocate, circling around Shizuru's as it made its motions. She reached her arms up around Shizuru on instinct, trying to pull herself even further into her lover's grasp.

Shizuru's right hand drifted down slightly, coming to cover the sensitive spot above Natsuki's hip. Even this gentle touch sent a jolt of energy through Natsuki's body. A gasp was forced out of her mouth which was so powerful it nearly pushed Shizuru out of the kiss. She'd forgotten just how tender that spot was. It had been so long since Shizuru had touched her there, and this was the first time she'd done so when Natsuki was already quite aroused and in a romantic mood. The feeling was exhilarating, and she felt like she was being charged up with sexual energy.

A gentle chuckle broke from Shizuru's lips at Natsuki's reaction, and she slowly pulled back from the kiss. Natsuki didn't have an opportunity to do anything in response, however, as Shizuru's hand started gently circling the spot on her hip. Shizuru gazed directly into Natsuki's eyes to watch her reactions. It was lucky that Shizuru had broken the kiss, as the motions of her hand and the bolts of pleasure shooting through Natsuki caused the girl to start letting loose a series of uncontrolled moans and gasps.

Eventually, the motions of Shizuru's hand slowed to a pause, allowing Natsuki a chance to catch her breath. A sparkle appeared in Shizuru's eyes as Natsuki was able to momentarily focus on them. All the joy she'd previously brought to her girlfriend seemed to have coalesced there, and those eyes bore a silent promise to Natsuki that it would all be repaid. With a last quick kiss, Shizuru slipped downwards, slowly kissing her way down Natsuki's neck and chest until she came to rest on her knees. Natsuki was careful to keep her hands interlocked around Shizuru's back even as the girl dipped lower.

Shizuru's head came to be nestled between Natsuki's breasts. For a moment, she started kissing her way around Natsuki's left breast, though she soon stopped with a slight moan. "Ara," she said. "It would seem I've gotten my Natsuki all soapy. Well, we'll have to do something about that so I can properly taste her."

Natsuki's mind quickly flashed back to their encounter a few days ago when she had made a personal catalogue of Shizuru's tastes. _Does that mean Shizuru plans to… to…_ A blush flooded Natsuki's face in lieu of her mind being able to finish the thought. Even though she'd already done just that to Shizuru, and Shizuru had already been inside her with her hand, Natsuki's modesty just couldn't be appeased that easily.

It could, however, be distracted. The feeling of Shizuru's hands scooping warm water from the shower onto her breasts accomplished that in a matter of seconds. She had nothing to fear from her modesty as long as Shizuru kept up her actions. After a period of some delightful wiping, Natsuki's body was clean of the soap, and Shizuru went back to kissing her way around her breasts.

Being Shizuru, Natsuki's lover of course couldn't resist a little teasing. She seemed to purposefully avoid Natsuki's nipples as she circled her way around her breasts. It took a moaned plea of "Shizuru…" in Natsuki's most pathetic voice before her tormentor finally relented and took Natsuki's nipple full into her mouth. The sensation was almost shocking at first, and Natsuki's legs nearly gave out from under her. Only Shizuru's quick grasp of her sides saved Natsuki from crumbling to the floor.

Natsuki flailed her arms out to the sides, finding a grip on the bath rail behind her. She wished she could hold onto Shizuru, but sadly her lover was too slippery for her to get a solid grip, and at this moment, keeping herself upright was her first priority. The importance of this was made clear as Shizuru started to lightly suckle on her nipple, causing a wave of shudders to pass through Natsuki's body.

Seeing that Natsuki was stable enough, Shizuru's left hand came up to gently massage her right breast. Meanwhile, her tongue peaked out to flick at Natsuki's captured nipple. Natsuki felt a spark of energy leap through her body at this, and she nearly lost her grip. She nearly lost it again when Shizuru's tongue started to make circles around the nub, sending periodic waves of pleasure through her body.

After some time of this predictable behavior, Shizuru started to vary up her tongue's routine. She intermixed flicking the tip of her tongue against Natsuki's nipple, stroking it around her areola, gently biting down on the nub, and simply kissing it. At the same time, Shizuru's left hand was giving Natsuki's other breast a similar treatment, mixing in a few pinches with the massaging. The varied behavior kept Natsuki permanently on edge, and she let out a series of moans that kept rising in pitch. Apparently, this was exactly what Shizuru was intending, as she proceeded onto the next phase of the game when Natsuki was practically squeaking out her pleasure.

Natsuki wasn't fortunate enough to get any reprieve at all as Shizuru drifted farther down her body, for although her mouth and left hand had left Natsuki's breasts, her right hand took up the task of tormenting her by gently stroking her pleasure button once more. The rising pleasure in Natsuki's body almost made her afraid. Shizuru had already pushed her so high, and yet her instincts were telling her that there was still much further to go. The thought of her inevitable fall from that height was daunting, to say the least. The only thing that prevented it from frightening her was the reassurance that Shizuru was there to guide her safely down. With Shizuru – her lover and her love – taking her there, she knew it could only be pleasurable.

Shizuru crossed her legs as she reached the floor, placing her face at the perfect level to access Natsuki's core. But she didn't start in with her face quite yet. While her right hand finally stopped its torment of Natsuki's hip to hold her steady, Shizuru brought her left index finger in to gently stroke Natsuki's lower lips. She slowly stroked around the sides at first, though a moan – one so high-pitched and pathetic that it would have embarrassed Natsuki at any other time – made her relent after only one circle and head towards the slit in the center.

Shizuru started stroking her finger along the slit, slowly prying it open. A stream of pathetic moans and yelps were forced out of Natsuki's mouth as warm rays of pleasure shot through her body. She couldn't help the noises coming out, but she wasn't even sure if she wanted to anymore. She'd recognized all the effort Shizuru had gone through to open herself up around her, dropping her usual mask as much as possible. It wouldn't be fair for Natsuki to keep hiding herself. She'd been afraid it would be horribly embarrassing to reveal herself, but Shizuru seemed to sense when this was a threat, and she always laid off her teasing just enough.

A thought tried to form in Natsuki's mind – something about opening herself up to Shizuru – but it just couldn't make any headway against the current of pleasure that was forcing itself into every corner of her consciousness. All she could think of were ways to help Shizuru in her quest. Trying not to let her feet slip out from under her, Natsuki cautiously moved her feet out to spread her legs and open herself up to her lover. When she thought she was stable enough, she carefully removed her right hand from its grip on the rail and brought it to the back of Shizuru's head, silently pleading for her girlfriend to finish the job.

Shizuru chuckled pleasantly at Natsuki's insistence, but fortunately she didn't resist. Her head drifted in as Natsuki pulled on it, and she moved her hand away to get a grip on Natsuki's hip. Trusting Shizuru to hold her steady, Natsuki released her other hand from the rail and brought it to the back of Shizuru's head as well. She would have preferred to be able to have even more contact with Shizuru – her hugging instinct was starting to overwhelm her – but she would take whatever she could get.

Shizuru's tongue finally swept out, meeting Natsuki's outer lips and causing a rush of heat through her body. She alternated sides a couple of times, causing the heat to build to a nearly intolerable level. It overwhelmed all of Natsuki's being. She could think of nothing other than a desperate need to feel the soft touch of Shizuru's tongue even deeper inside of her.

Ever attuned to her lover's needs, Shizuru seemed to find the perfect moment to fulfill her desires. Just when Natsuki didn't think she could take anymore teasing just outside her core, Shizuru quickly moved in, her lips finding their way immediately to aching bundle of nerves inside. Natsuki practically screamed at the contact as bolts of lightning stormed through her body, emanating from Shizuru's most intimate kiss.

Natsuki felt certain that she would soon fall from the heights of pleasure that Shizuru had rocketed her to, but Shizuru seemed prepared for this. Her tongue slipped out between her lips to gently cover Natsuki's clit, embracing it and holding Natsuki up. The moment was bliss; Natsuki felt as if all the pleasure that had built up were trapped in her body. She wasn't in any risk of it fading on her.

Sure enough, Shizuru held her there for a time. Her tongue gently stroked back and forth across Natsuki's clit in order to keep her from falling, slowly causing the nub to swell up in the process. The sustained pleasure eventually started to overwhelm Natsuki. It wasn't that she didn't like it, she just needed more. She needed everything Shizuru could give to her, even if it meant she'd eventually have to fall back to earth.

Natsuki tightened her grip on Shizuru's head, pulling her lover as close as possible. Shizuru, never being one to miss a hint, eagerly obliged. Her mouth drifted lower within Natsuki's slit, until she was kissing her girlfriend's innermost set of lips. Pleasure pulsed through Natsuki as Shizuru kissed them as she might her upper lips. Each pulse forced out a whimpering moan from the girl, who was now all to eager to let it out so Shizuru could hear the effect she was having on her beloved.

A sharp squeak was Shizuru's reward as her tongue made its way inside Natsuki. Seemingly satisfied with this response, her tongue started to explore around. Everywhere it touched was alit with pleasure. Natsuki couldn't help but squirm in Shizuru's grasp. She didn't want her lover to let go, and yet she just couldn't keep still. The feeling of that soft muscle in her most sensitive of places was too much for her.

As more of Natsuki's being focused on the motions of Shizuru's lips and tongue, her muscles started to give out. Her legs weakened beneath her, and it was only the grace of Shizuru's hold that kept her up now. Natsuki didn't have the presence of mind left to worry about her precarious position; she could only trust in Shizuru and focus on the waves of pleasure her lover was bringing her.

Natsuki's breathing became labored as her whole body started to be engulfed in ecstasy. The pace of it was soon matched by the rhythmic stroking of Shizuru's tongue inside of her. The result was that instead of the bursts of pleasure within Natsuki mixing erratically, each stroke came at the perfect time to build upon the previous wave. Natsuki could feel herself coming closer and closer to release with every motion of her girlfriend's tongue.

Just as she was about to hit, Shizuru paused the motions of her tongue for just a moment before plunging it as deep into Natsuki as she could. The sharp motion pushed Natsuki over the edge, and her body exploded in ecstasy. She felt herself suspended in a moment of pure bliss. Everything exploded out from within her, causing her innermost self to pour out.

Natsuki reached her hands out blindly for Shizuru, trying to find her anchor in the midst of her fall from her peak. The rush of emotions from within her left her feeling horribly vulnerable, with the realization of how she'd finally taken the risk of falling in love and much pain she was risking with it. She needed to know Shizuru was there for her. She needed to feel her love's comforting presence lest she break down completely.

Fortunately, Shizuru was indeed there for her. As soon as Natsuki started to flail for her touch, Shizuru had slackened her grip to allow Natsuki to slide down into her lap. She now cradled her girlfriend in her arms, while Natsuki clutched desperately at her. Tears poured relentlessly from Natsuki's eyes as she pleaded almost incoherently for Shizuru to stay with her, to never stop loving her. Somehow her words were understood by her lover, and she soothingly stroked Natsuki's back and affirmed that it was alright, she'd never leave her.

Eventually, Shizuru's words and comfort helped to calm Natsuki down. She was aware of what an embarrassing spectacle of herself she'd just made and of how she'd unintentionally exposed all of herself to Shizuru, but she was too worn out to care. Maybe she shouldn't have cared in any case; it was Shizuru she'd just exposed herself to, after all. It was alright with Shizuru; she'd only end up loving her more for it.

"I'm never letting you go, Shizuru," Natsuki said as she gathered enough of her strength to form a coherent sentence. She silently resolved that she'd broach the subject of living with Shizuru soon – even if just under the guise of sleeping over on a regular basis. She wanted to do whatever she could to cement their relationship. She just didn't want Shizuru to think she wasn't serious, saying it only it the heat of passion, so she'd have to wait a bit.

"Ara…" Shizuru purred happily. "I'd never want to. I'm Natsuki's for life."

Natsuki chuckled slightly at Shizuru's choice of words. At this moment, she felt more like she was Shizuru's, being protectively cradled by her owner. Well, it didn't matter. Either way, they were together.

After a few more minutes of holding her, Shizuru pulled her head back from the embrace and used her hand to gently bring Natsuki's head to face hers. Her expression was full of love and concern as she asked, "Are you alright now, Natsuki? I'm sorry if that was a bit much for you…"

Natsuki mustered a weak smile. "No, it's alright Shizuru. I guess I was just expecting something a bit different when you said you'd lose control of yourself." _Note to self: out-of-control Shizuru means broken-down and exposed Natsuki afterwards. She also has a magic tongue in addition to her magic hands._ "I'll have to help you lose control more often."

Shizuru's face lit up from this simple statement, as if she was profoundly touched by it. Natsuki had intended it only as a playful joke – and maybe a little promise – but it seemed to mean something more to Shizuru. After a moment of consideration, Natsuki guessed that maybe Shizuru was taking it as an affirmation that she didn't mind – maybe even enjoyed – being broken down and exposed before her lover.

_Well, I guess that's true. But only for you, Shizuru._ At this thought, Natsuki's mind suddenly became enraptured with the thought of finding some other way to show this to her. The close proximity of their faces gave her a good idea, so she leaned forward a bit to give Shizuru a sweet, thankful kiss. When she pulled back, she was pleased to see a blush had formed on her girlfriend's cheeks. "I love you, Shizuru," she said.

Shizuru nodded a bit weakly. "I love you too, Natsuki." Her voice was starting to waver a bit, as if she were still a bit overwhelmed by the emotions Natsuki's prior tacit admission. She cleared her throat though and managed to focus herself. A twinkle appeared in her eyes, and she said, "Now, I believe Natsuki still has some washing she needs to do. Might she need a hand?"

_A hand…_ A blush made its way to Natsuki's cheeks at the thought of Shizuru's magic hands once more working all over her body. She was a bit nervous about falling under Shizuru's spell so soon after her last experience, but she just couldn't refuse the look in her girlfriend's eyes. She gave a sigh and said, "Alright, but stick to business. I don't know if I can take much more of your… more intimate caresses right now."

Shizuru chuckled. "Whatever Natsuki wants."

* * *

**Japanese notes:**

_Hentai_ – "Pervert," in a stronger sense than the milder form, "_ecchi_." The phrase "Natsuki no hentai" literally translates to "Natsuki is a pervert," but is more colloquially equivalent to saying "Natsuki, you pervert." I decided to leave it this way as the first seems too awkward in English, while the second is too un-Shizuru-esque. In the end, neither English translation really captures it well enough. (Okay, enough justification for breaking the translation convention. :P)


	9. Bared Souls

**Author's Note:** Wow, it's been quite some time since I last worked on this fic. Got distracted with other projects, and most of those are still open... Gah, it's just too hard to end things. Anyways, you may not know if you haven't been reading my other fics, but I put a poll up on my profile about which fic should be updated next, and I'm back to this one as it was near the top (I'm assuming some bias towards the story I first mentioned the poll on, and this was high enough that I figured you deserved an update here). And now, after finishing this chapter, I see that this fic is at the top. Guess I was right. ;)

Before I could get to this one though, I got pulled in by a friend to work on a smut scene for her fic. If you want to see it, check out chapter 4 of Shezaei Neko's Into the Another World (no, that's not a mistake in the titling; she took it from a song). To spice up the deal, that chapter is the reason her fic is now rated M, and it's a good 10,000 words long. Or you could read this first and that next. As long as you drop a review over there. They make Shezaei happy, and when she's happy, I'm happy.

* * *

**Title:** Perchance to Dream

**Rating:** M

**Chapter 9:** Bared Souls

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"Mrr... Shizu-ru..." Natsuki moaned out as her struggling managed to land both her and the target of her exasperation in a pile on her bed.

"Is something the matter, Na-tsu-ki?" Shizuru said, enunciating each syllable of the girl's name clearly in a way that didn't evoke any particular intent other than simply being playful. She didn't make any effort to move herself from her current position, only nuzzling her head into Natsuki's back.

Natsuki sighed, putting extra effort into it so she could be sure Shizuru heard it. Her tormentor would have to be denser than Takeda to not know what the problem was right now, but Natsuki knew from experience that Shizuru would feign ignorance just to have some fun with her. And then, one way or another, Shizuru would find something to pretend to take offense at, and Natsuki would then be at her mercy and have to make amends. With Shizuru's mood, Natsuki could guess just what those amends would be.

_Er, wait... Why is that a bad thing, again?_ Natsuki felt a wave of shivers pass through her body as Shizuru used her moment of stillness as a chance to gently stroke her hand down Natsuki's side. Maybe Shizuru wasn't really trying to torment her now, but she was just being loving. _And I guess I do kind of want to be loving back to her... But, no, I've got a better way to do that. I just can't have any distractions. And a naked, clingy Shizuru with full access to my body is about as distracting as it gets._

"The matter is that I can't get dressed with you glued to me like this," Natsuki said.

"Mou... why would Natsuki want to get dressed?" Shizuru said, her comment not surprising Natsuki in the slightest. She pressed the side of her head into Natsuki's back, the feeling of her soft hair against it quite pleasant. "I can think of lots of fun things we can do naked... In fact, it's a requirement for most of them. Or does Natsuki perhaps wish to play strip tutoring again?" At this, Shizuru's hand found its way to Natsuki's breast and started to gently play with it, soon working her nipple into an erect state despite Natsuki's attempts to stay in control of the situation.

Natsuki's face tensed up as she tried to resist breaking out into a blush and falling for Shizuru's manipulation – both kinds of manipulation, though it was getting harder and harder to ignore just how good her breast felt... _No! You have to be strong, you're doing this for her._ Natsuki gritted her teeth and focused. She wasn't going to have this small bit of control much longer, so she had to convince Shizuru now or she was screwed. _Again, not that that would be so bad... Gah!_

"Shizuru... please, just trust me on this..." Natsuki managed to say, just as she felt her resistance breaking down completely. She therefore found it quite disappointing when Shizuru took just this moment to move off of her, acquiescing to her previous demands. The sudden absence of that familiar body connected to hers was disconcerting, and Natsuki found herself unconsciously wrapping her arms around herself to make up for not having Shizuru there to do the same.

Natsuki could hear Shizuru start to rustle around behind her. As she did this, Shizuru said, "Alright, I'll trust Natsuki to make this worth my while. Of course, if Natsuki fails to do so, she'll have to be punished. I'll have to make sure it's in a way that will properly make up for the fun she's denying me now with plenty of fun then..."

"Right..." Natsuki said. She wasn't really paying attention to what Shizuru was saying, still a bit dazed from the effects of how Shizuru had worked her up and then disappeared from her position. Even though it was what she'd asked for, Shizuru's presence was still quite addicting, and Natsuki was now facing withdrawal.

"Ara? Is Natsuki is having second thoughts now?" Shizuru said. A teasing lilt was in her voice; she was certainly having fun with the state she'd put Natsuki in.

_Yes..._ Natsuki answered silently. She wasn't going to let that stop her, though. Forcing herself to shake off the daze Shizuru had put her in, Natsuki rolled over and got off her bed, heading to her closet to get dressed. She noticed that Shizuru was now wearing a new outfit – she must have brought it along in her bag the night before. She'd almost been expecting the girl to not have brought any clothes along just so she'd have an excuse to remain naked for as much of the day as possible. Perhaps she had indeed been planning to make that excuse, and it was only Natsuki's request that made her change her mind. Or maybe Natsuki was just over-thinking things again. She really had to stop doing that, especially now that she and Shizuru didn't have any reasons left to keep anything from each other.

"So, does Natsuki wish to tell me what's more important than making love to me?" Shizuru said as Natsuki started to get dressed. There was a teasing tone to her voice, of course, and also a little mock hurt. Natsuki was almost surprised to find that she wasn't really reacting to it as she might have in the past – with a prompt blush at the mere thought of making love. Was she developing a resistance to Shizuru's teasing, perhaps? Oddly, that thought struck her as not entirely pleasant. Shizuru liked teasing her and seeing her blush, after all... Perhaps she'd have to relent a little for her girlfriend's sake.

"Er... check under the bed, I guess," Natsuki said as she opened her closet to pick out a bra to wear for the day. She didn't know how long she'd actually be able to keep it on, but she did need something for the meantime. Eventually, she settled on what was one of the fanciest pieces in her collection: the European bra she'd picked out the week before during her lingerie shopping spree, courtesy of Shizuru.

_Was that only a week ago? Wow, it seems so much longer... So much has changed for me since then... _Natsuki found herself trailing off into thought as she held the bra in front of her. Her life had been changing drastically recently. She was falling more and more for Shizuru, ever since she'd realized her love just over a week ago. She'd taken Shizuru's virginity and given up her own, and now she was even having thoughts about moving in with her. It was all happening so fast. The person she'd been a couple of months ago would have been scared to death of how much she was coming to rely on Shizuru, but now...

Natsuki glanced over her shoulder to see Shizuru bending down to search under her bed, finding her journal hidden there. Even in such mundane actions, Shizuru was gorgeous. A rush of warmth went through Natsuki's chest as she watched her girlfriend. Shizuru caught her eye at this moment and winked at her, causing Natsuki's cheeks to rapidly fill with a blush. _Well, at least she still can make me blush... _Natsuki thought with an internal chuckle as she turned back to start putting on her bra.

Her thoughts soon drifted back to their former course as she continued dressing. She was still afraid of being abandoned, she admitted to herself. It didn't seem like something Shizuru would ever do, but the small bit of fear was still there. The difference now was that it wasn't enough to stop her from admitting that she was in love. All of this... this happiness she was feeling from being with Shizuru... it was worth it. Even if Shizuru did leave her sometime... _But no, Shizuru would never do that, would she?_

Natsuki let out a sigh as she finished pulling her top on. Even with how fast things were developing between them, it would take some time before she could get rid of her fear completely. At least now she had someone she could talk to about all of her fears. And she would, just as soon as Shizuru had finished peering into all of the thoughts Natsuki had lain out in her journal. Now done dressing, Natsuki turned back to Shizuru, who was waiting on her bed now, the journal laying closed on her lap.

As she walked back to the bed, Natsuki tried to read Shizuru's expression. It seemed to be a mix of quite a few emotions. It seemed like Shizuru was trying to hold back a smile – or laughter perhaps? Shizuru hadn't been bothering to cover up her smiles around Natsuki lately, so laughter was a bit more likely... _Wait, does she think this is funny? I was trying to be sweet and this is the response I get?_

Something of her internal monologue must have shown through on Natsuki's face, as Shizuru broke out into chuckles as she watched it. Natsuki could feel her face start to burn red at this reaction, though she was relieved somewhat when Shizuru said, "Natsuki is too sweet, to blush for me without me even having to ask for it."

Natsuki let out a growl under her breath, though she was more mad at herself than Shizuru now. Shizuru's expression from before was probably from just the same emotion as she was showing now: being flattered by Natsuki's actions. It was just Natsuki's silliness in getting worked up so easily that led Shizuru to laughter. _I guess I can tolerate that type of laughter... or at least, I'll have to learn to live with it. Not like I'll ever become completely immune to her. At least I hope no- Gah! No! That's supposed to be a bad thing!_

Natsuki was "saved" from her inner struggle when Shizuru jumped up from the bed to latch onto her in a hug. She only had time to let out a startled gasp before she was pulled back down to the bed. Her surprised struggles led to the two of them once more becoming tangled with each other. It only took a second for the initial surprise to pass though, and she soon found herself laughing at the situation along with Shizuru. Sadly, their faces were on opposite ends of the bed at that time, as Natsuki felt a sudden urge to kiss her girlfriend. Instead, she filed that urge away for future use, preferably at some time when she could catch Shizuru by surprise.

"Alright," Shizuru said as she worked to untangle herself from Natsuki – feeling a few more places of her girlfriend's body than was strictly necessary, but Natsuki wasn't complaining. "So let's see what Natsuki wanted me to read..." Shizuru fished around on the floor to retrieve Natsuki's journal before she sat back up in her usual spot on Natsuki's bed.

Natsuki wondered for a bit about the best position for her to be in while Shizuru was reading. She considered just lying where she was, as she could prop her head up on an elbow to look at Shizuru, but it just didn't seem right for the moment. She was opening herself up to Shizuru here, just as Shizuru had done for her the previous night. _Wait, that's it: Shizuru had it right last night._ Grinning to herself, Natsuki sat up on the bed and came to a sitting position just beside and behind Shizuru. She then proceeded to wrap her arms around the girl and hold her in a tight embrace. When she'd found a good position she could stay in for some time, she said, "Okay, you can read it now, Shizuru."

Natsuki's position allowed her to rest her head on Shizuru's shoulder and look down at her journal, so she could remind herself of just what she'd written and read along with Shizuru. This resulted in an immediate blush as she read the contents of the first page and her assumptions that if Shizuru were reading it, she'd have sneaked in to do so.

"Ara ara," Shizuru said. She'd gone into teasing mode after reading the first couple paragraphs. "But I'm reading this _with_ Natsuki's permission. Does this mean I don't get her special 'punishment'?"

Natsuki growled softly. "I changed my mind since I wrote that. Just keep reading unless you want me to really punish you."

Shizuru chuckled at this. As with every time Natsuki heard her laughter, she reflected on just how beautiful and melodic it was. Scanning quickly down the page in front of her, she realized that she was bound to hear some more of it quite soon. She'd even anticipated it in her writing. Sure enough, the expected burst of laughter came quickly.

"I knew you loved my teasing, Natsuki," Shizuru said through her laughter. "You wouldn't have let me do it for so long if you didn't."

Natsuki sighed. "Yeah, I guess... And I guess I'm in for a lot more of it now..."

"Ara, but Natsuki likes my teasing, doesn't she?" Shizuru said. "So why should she mind getting more of it?"

"Mou... I have my limits, Shizuru. And it's really more of a love-hate relationship I have with your teasing."

"You keep telling yourself that. It just makes it all the more fun for me."

Sensing that she was beaten, Natsuki did all that she could think of to do. She let out a defeated whimper and buried her face into Shizuru's shoulder, instinctively trying to hide the telltale blush on her face, even though Shizuru wasn't looking at her. This action, however, prompted Shizuru to turn her head around to see what she could of Natsuki. Natsuki felt Shizuru give her a quick kiss on the forehead, and it seemed to make her whole body immediately relax. She let out a soft moan into Shizuru's shoulder now.

Shizuru took this as her cue that it was alright to continue reading. Natsuki peeked up to scan this page, and she was relieved to see that there wasn't anything too embarrassing there. There was a mention of how she felt about seeing Shizuru in biker leathers, but she'd already shown that reaction when they were out shopping and embarrassed herself so much that she'd pretty much burned out on anymore potential embarrassment there.

"Natsuki really should take me riding again sometime," Shizuru said. Natsuki gave a grunt of assent. She'd only had the chance to take Shizuru out twice so far: Taking her back to her house on the night she'd admitted that she might be able to feel more for Shizuru, and their fun ride just a few days ago. The latter had been much more enjoyable, as they were officially a couple then, and it just made Natsuki desire to do it more. "That'll give me the perfect chance to try out my new leathers and see if Natsuki's resistance to them has improved any."

Natsuki growled again at this comment, but she was quickly cut off when Shizuru quickly turned to give her another peck on the forehead. A light blush formed in her cheeks at this action, but this one she didn't really mind. She let out a light chuckle and said, "Are you going to do that after every page?"

"Would Natsuki like me to?"

Even though letting Shizuru do that to her felt kind of embarrassing and silly, Natsuki's first instinct was to say "Yes." She couldn't say that, of course, and so she grumbled into Shizuru's shoulder, "Just read." Shizuru could pick up the hint.

The acknowledgment that she actually wanted Shizuru to treat her like that brought another realization to Natsuki's mind: She was starting to feel and act more girlish with Shizuru. She'd long associated femininity with weakness, and she'd tried to butch herself up in her mannerisms to make sure no one ever called her "girlish." Most boys – with one annoying exception – soon learned to respect her and not just treat her as a sex object or a feast for their eyes. She did allow herself the one feminine indulgence of her lingerie collection, though. Buying them had turned into a hobby for her, and it allowed her to relieve some of the stress she'd built up in that rough period, though she still swore never to wear any of them. Time – and Shizuru – saw her changing her mind about that, though. She'd tried to keep the collection a secret, but of course Shizuru still managed to find out about it. The things she'd do for mayonnaise...

Back then, she'd bought into the cultural stereotype that women were the weaker sex, and she sought to subvert it. This conception was completely destroyed, though, when she observed the strength of all the other HiME. One in particular stood out, though. Shizuru was easily one of the strongest HiME, and yet she did everything without sacrificing an ounce of her femininity. It was her love that made her strong, and that had forced Natsuki to realize her own affection for the girl to match her in strength and save her from herself. Showing her emotions freely was one of the many things she'd considered too feminine to do, but she'd done that for Shizuru. That and so many other things...

Shizuru let out a gasp, breaking Natsuki from her thoughts. "Natsuki didn't really need my help with geometry?" Shizuru said, using her play-hurt tone of voice.

_Oh, right, that... I guess she really didn't figure that out..._ Natsuki thought.

"And with all the work I put in for her, coming up with all those problems, making nice problem sheets for her, and then designing a game to make things interesting... Natsuki would..." Shizuru gave an exaggerated sniff, "take advantage of me..."

_Damn..._ Natsuki knew that Shizuru was playing up the hurt, but she'd hit on a real strain of guilt in Natsuki. She'd felt bad about deceiving Shizuru for a while now. Although she was a bit relieved that it was out in the open now, she knew that she'd have to make up for it somehow before she could feel better. "Sorry Shizuru..." she said. "You can tell I feel guilty from reading that, right? I'll make it up to you if I can..."

"Good!" Shizuru said, her mood immediately lifting. "Then Natsuki can play me in another game – one which she isn't guaranteed to win and doesn't have a safety net for if she does lose."

Natsuki cringed and blushed at the thought of being at Shizuru's mercy in another such game. It wasn't that it would be bad... just embarrassing. But, she did need to make things up to Shizuru. She let out a sigh and said, "Fine... just, let's do it later, okay?"

Natsuki felt Shizuru's lips on her forehead before she'd even realized that the girl was turning her head. She couldn't help but let out a smile at the action, but she quickly suppressed it. "Thank you," Shizuru said. One of her hands came up off of Natsuki's journal to grasp Natsuki's hand, and she gave it a quick, loving squeeze, resulting in another quickly suppressed smile from Natsuki.

As Shizuru turned the page in the journal, Natsuki glanced down to remind herself what she'd written there. A small wave of panic hit Natsuki as she realized that this page was where she first mentioned her nightmares of being tied up. This was the important part for Shizuru to read, though it was also the most embarrassing. But Natsuki had to be able to share this kind of thing with Shizuru. They'd promised to be completely open with each other, and this was the most important part of openness.

That didn't mean she wasn't still nervous, of course. In fact, her nervousness spurred Natsuki to step ahead with her plans a little, just so she could be sure Shizuru would take this seriously. "Wait, Shizuru," she said. She unwrapped herself from the girl and moved off to the side, towards the head of her bed. Shizuru glanced at her questioningly, and she returned the look with a nervous smile.

Not sure of any words that would help at the moment and trusting Shizuru to simply be patient, Natsuki turned away and opened up the drawer of her nightstand. Inside were laid out four small pieces of paper, the coupons Shizuru had given her a couple weeks ago. Their purpose was to help Shizuru relieve her guilt of the times she'd taken advantage of Natsuki in the past by giving Natsuki the opportunity to request large favors of her. Natsuki had used the first one to get Shizuru to allow her to take charge the night she admitted her feelings. It had given her the courage she needed, not having to worry about being overwhelmed by what Shizuru might do to her after her admission.

The coupon had soon been forgotten about that night, but Natsuki had found it on the floor beside her bed the next day, a bit crumpled up. In a rare sentimental moment, she decided to keep it as a reminder of their first night as a couple and their first time making love. She'd written on the back of it, "Shizuru giving herself to me," and she'd put it back in with the other, unused coupons. When she'd used up all four, she could keep them all as evidence that Shizuru had completely made things up to her, with each past betrayal matched by a special moment between the two of them.

Natsuki knew that Shizuru wouldn't be satisfied unless her favors were suitably large, and so, although there were tons of little things she could have asked for, she held out for big favors to use the coupons on. It was time now to ask for another big favor, even though it wouldn't entail any major action immediately. For now, she just wanted Shizuru to know what she intended with this, and to make sure the girl took this seriously. The last thing she needed was Shizuru laughing at her fears and calling them "cute" or something.

Searching through the coupons briefly, Natsuki found the one that had "Shizuru helping me through my fears" written on the back of it. She removed it from the drawer and closed it as she turned back to Shizuru, who was waiting patiently and curiously. When she spotted the coupon in Natsuki's hand, she raised an eyebrow and a smile crossed her face. Natsuki wondered if she was perhaps thinking about what she'd done with the last coupon and if this time would be as enjoyable. Natsuki certainly hoped they'd be able to make this enjoyable, but she knew that it would take some work.

"Alright, er... here, Shizuru," Natsuki said, trying to fumble for the right words as she handed the coupon to her lover. This just wasn't making much sense without Shizuru having read the entry, and she really didn't know what to say. "Just, read it, I guess." Natsuki felt that telltale warmth forming in her cheeks which told her that she'd brought herself to blushing from her nervousness and awkwardness. Although she was sure Shizuru noticed – when did she not? – she refrained from commenting. This realization brought relief to Natsuki, as it proved that Shizuru was taking things seriously now.

Shizuru gave Natsuki a brief quizzical look and then glanced down at the coupon. Seeing only her own writing on the top side, she flipped it over to read what Natsuki had written on the back. Her brow furrowed a bit with concern at what was written there. "Natsuki is scared?" she said questioningly.

"Er, well..." Natsuki said. It wasn't that she was presently scared. It was, well... "I think... just read the journal. That should explain it."

"Alright," Shizuru said. She nodded her head slowly. "There's just one thing first..."

Natsuki quirked an eyebrow. "What is- ah!" Natsuki was cut off in the middle of her sentence by Shizuru lunging towards her – which really should have been impossible, given the position she'd been in and the speed with which she'd done it, but this was Shizuru, after all – and catching Natsuki in her arms. Natsuki soon found herself dragged back to where Shizuru had been sitting, relaxing a bit as she realized Shizuru's intentions.

"Natsuki needed a hug," Shizuru said simply. She squeezed Natsuki in her arms. The journal was still in her hands, and Natsuki could feel it against her back, but it wasn't getting uncomfortable. At this point, it was probably impossible for her to feel uncomfortable in one of Shizuru's hugs, no matter what she might be holding.

Natsuki couldn't help herself; she let out a laugh at her girlfriend's behavior. That move from Shizuru was just what she needed to dissolve her built-up tension. Allowing herself to relax, Natsuki wrapped her arms around Shizuru and returned the hug. "Thanks, Shizuru."

After a few more moments holding the hug, Shizuru pulled back from it. As she did so, though, she tucked her head into Natsuki's neck and dragged her lips gently across the base of her neck. The sudden sensual act sent a wave of sweet warmth through Natsuki's body and her breath caught in her throat. Sadly, this was followed by Shizuru moving away from her and back to where she'd been sitting previously, leaving Natsuki suddenly aroused but abandoned. She let her breath out between clenched teeth and whispered, "Damn you, Shizuru..."

Shizuru didn't respond to this. She simply raised a eyebrow and gave a small, victorious smile as she turned away from Natsuki and back to the journal. She opened it up to the page she'd been at previously and started to read. A bit peeved at her girlfriend playing that trick on her, Natsuki tried to formulate a plan to get her back in kind. Deciding that simpler was better, she returned to the spot she'd previously occupied, hugging Shizuru from behind. Only this time, instead of resting her head on Shizuru's shoulder and reading along with her, Natsuki buried her face into the crook of Shizuru's neck.

As Shizuru read through this entry, Natsuki slowly started to kiss around her neck. She worked as gently and sweetly as she could, making love to Shizuru's neck with her mouth – for she did love it, oh so much... It tasted so sweet, and it was such a tender part of the woman she loved. The fact that her kisses made her beloved feel pleasure made the act all the more precious. In fact, Natsuki soon gave up on her plans of suddenly disappearing from Shizuru to get back at her. Simply keeping this up was better for the both of them. She could justify that her revenge was in expecting Shizuru to try to read as she was doing this, if she felt the need to justify it to herself later. There was just no way she could bring herself to stop kissing Shizuru now.

"Ikezu..." Shizuru eventually said, almost in a pant. "I'm supposed to be reading here, you know..."

Natsuki paused a moment to say, "You started it." She brought out her teeth to nibble a bit on Shizuru's neck now, eliciting a whimper from the girl. She smiled and continued, "But if the mighty Shizuru-kaichou-sama will admit to letting something so little as this distract all of her attention, I guess I could give you a break." That being said, Natsuki went back to doing the best she could to distract Shizuru. She could feel victory at hand.

"If... maybe..." Shizuru got out through her ragged breathing, "Natsuki could just slow down a bit... It's quite nice, but Natsuki is also quite distracting..."

_Victory._ Natsuki smiled to herself. To confirm, she backed off and glanced at what she could see of Shizuru's cheek. To her delight, it was bright red now. Grinning in accomplishment, she went back to nuzzling her face into Shizuru's neck. She kept up the attention to it, but she was gentle and slow enough that it wouldn't distract Shizuru too much.

Natsuki must have lost track of time, though it was quite easy with what she was currently doing. She was suddenly caught off-guard by the sound of Shizuru slamming her journal shut. She turned her head up, wondering if Shizuru had already gone through the rest of her entries, but she didn't get a chance to check. As soon as her lips were cleared from Shizuru's neck, they were caught by the girl's own.

Shizuru pushed Natsuki down onto her back, and her hands grasped the girl's shoulders to keep her pinned down. With Natsuki at her mercy, the kissing was frantic and unrestrained. Natsuki briefly wondered what had overtaken Shizuru, but the kisses were starting to make her feel so good that she didn't really care. She could feel a burning heat rising in her chest, and she wondered if Shizuru were feeling the same thing, or possibly even more. A feeling like that could certainly lead her to assaulting Natsuki this way.

Natsuki soon realized that Shizuru was sobbing openly into the kisses. It didn't seem possible that anything could be wrong now, especially when she was displaying such passion, so Natsuki wasn't going to worry. It was becoming too hard for her to think straight now, anyways. She just brought her arms up to wrap around the girl and hold her in as she returned as many of the kisses as she could.

As soon as her arms crossed Shizuru's back, Natsuki felt a stream of tears start to fall down from the girl's face. "Na-tsukiii..." Shizuru cried out between kisses. "Love... you... too..." Shizuru dropped down to Natsuki's neck and started kissing it fiercely, even more so than Natsuki had done previously.

The sensations were a bit painful at first for Natsuki, but she was in such a state that even the pain brought her pleasure. She let out a short moan and started panting from Shizuru's sweet kisses. Her body had started to fill with a delightful warmth, and she allowed her eyes to drift closed as she crossed into a world of pleasure. "Shizuru..." she whispered out.

Shizuru whimpered, perhaps in response to the sound of her name passing through Natsuki's lips. Finding herself at Natsuki's collar now, she quickly kissed her way back up her neck and to her face. "Thank you..." Shizuru bent in to kiss Natsuki's lips. Natsuki could feel her lover's lips trembling in the kiss. After she separated, Shizuru brought a hand up to gently brush against Natsuki's cheek and said, "Thank you so much, Natsuki..."

Natsuki's eyes fluttered open to gaze at Shizuru's face. The sight took her breath away. Shizuru's eyes were filled with tears, and Natsuki could see trails of moisture running down her face. Shizuru mouth was gently trembling, and she couldn't help letting out a few sobs. Natsuki could tell, though, from the sparkle in her eyes, that all of this was simply from an outpouring of joy. Shizuru was happier than she could handle now, and all Natsuki wanted was to share it with her. She wasn't going to think too much on what the specific reasons for it were – that always just led her into trouble – she was just going to accept it.

Perhaps Shizuru saw something in Natsuki's eyes now, as she couldn't maintain her position any longer. Her face shot forwards once more to capture Natsuki's lips in a passionate kiss. There was something almost possessive about the kiss; Natsuki felt almost as if Shizuru were trying to stake a claim on her, to mark her as her own. But she'd already given herself to Shizuru, so that wasn't really necessary, was it? Maybe she just needed a reminder...

From there, things rapidly became more heated. Natsuki was surprised – but not put off – when she felt Shizuru's hands grasping at the hem of her shirt. Shizuru quickly pulled it up and over Natsuki's head, forcing the girl to temporarily release her arms from her hug around Shizuru. Shizuru didn't waste a second after tossing the shirt away before her hand had reached around Natsuki's back to unclasp her bra. She quickly pulled it off of Natsuki's chest and dove right back in to continue their kiss.

Natsuki was caught off guard by the way things were proceeding, but she found that she was making no move to resist Shizuru. There was no embarrassment about Shizuru seeing – and now feeling – her topless. She didn't even care about how they'd been distracted from... whatever... to do this. All she knew was that her girlfriend, her lover, desperately needed this now, and her body had already surrendered itself to her.

"My Natsuki..." Shizuru said into the kiss. "My... mine... really..." A large sob burst forth from Shizuru, and Natsuki could feel a wave of tears dripping down onto her face. She fell down on Natsuki, her lips meeting the other girl's without the energy to move them. They simply trembled as Natsuki tried to kiss back as best as she could.

Natsuki still wasn't sure what had gotten into her girlfriend and why she was so emotional all of a sudden, but that didn't matter. Her heart had started to ache with need at the outpouring of love from Shizuru. She wanted to help Shizuru handle it as best as she could, and right now there was only one thing she could think of to do. She gently held the back of Shizuru's head with her hands and moved it back so she could look into her eyes.

It was if Natsuki was peering directly into Shizuru's soul. She seemed to have dropped all of her barriers now – or perhaps Natsuki's behavior had torn them down – and Natsuki could see all the love she had within her, which was now bringing her more joy than she could handle. Had Shizuru been holding all of that back, even since their relationship had begun?

_No... "Really," she said. Did she not believe it was real until now? But what's changed?_ Focusing on Shizuru's face once more, Natsuki decided that why didn't matter right now. The rush of heat building in her chest made it quite clear to her that all that mattered was letting Shizuru have what she wanted right now.

"Really, Shizuru," Natsuki said. She looked directly into Shizuru's eyes and gave her the expression she'd asked her to memorize just an hour ago. "I'm really yours, Shizuru, and I'm really in love with you."

Shizuru let out a small, joyful whimper as she looked down on Natsuki, and another wave of tears broke free from her eyes. Natsuki was worried she hadn't quite caught the look, but a wave of determination soon overtook Shizuru's features, and Natsuki watched as a fire was lit within her eyes. Shizuru then leaned back down to capture Natsuki in a forceful, confident kiss. Natsuki returned it with all of her own passion, but she allowed Shizuru to set the pace. Shizuru needed to be in charge now, to show her love, and Natsuki had no problem with submitting to her.

Shizuru suddenly disappeared from the kiss, though not without making her intentions obvious. Natsuki felt Shizuru's hands grasping at her pants, and then they were off, along with her panties, almost before she'd realized what Shizuru was up to. She looked up to see that Shizuru was now standing at the side of the bed, quickly disrobing herself as well. Natsuki took this small chance to adjust herself on the bed so she could rest her head on the pillow and she didn't have to hang her legs off the side.

Natsuki let out a sharp yelp when Shizuru literally pounced on her, jumping straight from her spot on the floor to land on top of Natsuki. She didn't have a chance to complain, though, as Shizuru quickly caught her lips in another kiss that quite clearly told her to just shut up and enjoy the ride. The feeling of Shizuru's soft lips against her own made Natsuki quickly decide that this was a promising course of action, and so she allowed herself to return the kiss to Shizuru.

Finally free of any thoughts that might distract her, Natsuki allowed herself to be absorbed into the kiss. Despite how forceful and dominating Shizuru was being, her kiss was perfectly gentle and sweet. Her lips moved slowly against Natsuki's, enveloping each of them in turn and sucking lovingly on each. Shizuru even brought her teeth out to nibble gently on Natsuki's lips. This particular act caused a surge of pleasurable warmth to pass through Natsuki – it was a possessive gesture, which was just what Shizuru needed to show right now, and yet it was also loving in how gentle and careful Shizuru was being with her teeth.

A moan broke free from Natsuki's throat before she'd realized it was forming, landing inside Shizuru's mouth. Shizuru giggled slightly, backing only a fraction of an inch away from the kiss to do so. Her mouth then drifted over and down to Natsuki's hear. In a lustful, confident whisper, Shizuru said, "You're mine."

The reaction of Natsuki's body was immediate. Every muscle of hers seemed to tense up in anticipation of Shizuru's touch, and a wave of heat spread through her body. Her breasts started to ache with need for Shizuru's hands to come and massage them, and she felt even more need building a bit lower. The simple thought of being Shizuru's seemed to send her into a lustful haze. To make things worse, the realization that this was a kink of hers only caused a wave of embarrassment to hit her – which didn't go unnoticed by Shizuru, judging by her grin – and this embarrassment at Shizuru's hands only served to further her aroused state from being at her lover's mercy.

After speaking the two words that made Natsuki submit completely – and a bit embarrassingly – to her, Shizuru had raised her head back up to observe her reaction. She was obviously quite pleased with it, but she wasn't making any move to continue with things. Her silent gaze somehow made Natsuki itch for her touch even more, and eventually she just couldn't control herself any longer. She needed Shizuru _now_, and if Shizuru wasn't going to give her what she needed, then she'd just have to take it.

Natsuki briefly considered satisfying her needs by her own hands, but she knew that wouldn't work. She'd never been a very sexual person until Shizuru had opened her sexuality up within her, and it was now so intertwined with the thought of Shizuru that it just seemed to be a contradiction in terms for Natsuki to ever be able to satisfy herself. How could she make love to herself after all? She needed Shizuru to love her.

And so, to accomplish this, Natsuki grabbed one of Shizuru's hands, which was resting tauntingly by her side, and she brought it to her breast, hoping that Shizuru would get the hint and she could rid herself of some of the burning need that was still building up. Unfortunately, Shizuru didn't react as Natsuki had hoped. In fact, she seemed to be put off by Natsuki's actions. She quickly turned her hand around to grab Natsuki's wrist and pull it away from her breast. Her other hand soon found Natsuki's other wrist and held it securely as well, while Shizuru looked down disapprovingly at Natsuki.

Natsuki looked up at Shizuru incredulously. This wasn't the way she was supposed to react. Shizuru was supposed to think it was cute how Natsuki was asking for her touch and perhaps even tease her about it, but of course she'd acquiesce. Why would Shizuru deny her?

Natsuki's answer came when she gazed into Shizuru's eyes. The girl's mask had been completely dropped not long ago, and she had yet to rebuild it – if she was even planning to today – and so Natsuki could see that she really did think that her attempts to receive her touch were adorable; she just had something else in mind. Reminding herself that she was supposed to be allowing Shizuru to be in control now, Natsuki resolved to trust her lover.

This resolution of submission caused another wave of warmth to shoot through Natsuki's body. At this point, her breasts were practically burning with need. The simple absence of Shizuru's touch was driving her wild. She felt as if she were being constantly teased, and, as much it embarrassed her to admit it, she was getting turned on by it. She just needed, more and more, to actually receive Shizuru's touch in order to draw pleasure out of the experience, or else she'd simply explode, suffering all the frustrations of Shizuru's teasing with none of the payoff.

Natsuki looked pleadingly into Shizuru's eyes. She didn't even plan to, but she also let out a whimper of need at this moment. A flash of adoration passed through Shizuru's eyes, and she finally started to take some action of her own, but, once again, it wasn't what Natsuki was expecting. Shizuru pulled both of Natsuki's hands up above her head and brought her wrists together. She then adjusted her grip so that she could hold onto both of them with just her left hand, leaving her right free to get to work on Natsuki's body – so Natsuki hoped, at least.

"Natsuki won't be needing these," Shizuru said. Her teasing tone was on in full force, and hearing it sent another wave of need through Natsuki. She started to kick her legs absently, trying to assuage the building need in her crotch. However, Shizuru soon noticed this, and she was quick to shift her position so one leg was placed in between Natsuki's knees, preventing her even this mild relief. Natsuki pouted at Shizuru, but she just got a click of the girl's tongue in response. "And it seems I won't even be able to trust her to keep them away, if this behavior is any indication."

Natsuki let out a low moan and briefly tried to struggle her way out of Shizuru's grasp. She wasn't sure if the girl had her overpowered or if her heart simply wasn't in it, but the end result was that she was completely at Shizuru's mercy. She was helpless. Normally, Natsuki absolutely hated feeling helpless, but right now, when it was Shizuru who had absolute control over her, it just turned her on even more. She knew she could unquestioningly trust in Shizuru's love, and she reminded herself of this now. There was nothing to fear; she only had love coming her way.

Shizuru was silent as she watched Natsuki go through this mental debate. When Natsuki focused on Shizuru again, she saw what looked like an expression of loving pride form on her face. She was about to ask about it, but Shizuru cut in just as she was starting to talk. "Now... Natsuki is mine to do with as I please. She should just consider herself very lucky that what I want to do most right now is to feel all of her most intimate parts, and then to have her writhe and scream at my hand. For Natsuki has been quite a good girl, and I would very much like to reward her."

Natsuki could feel herself melting as Shizuru spoke these words to her in a lustful voice. Nerves throughout her body lit on fire, every one of them crying out for Shizuru's touch, which she knew was now so close. She arched her back to try to push her breasts up towards Shizuru, the ache in them nearly unbearable by now, and she let out a pleading moan. She looked into Shizuru's eyes and put on her best "puppy" expression, hoping to work off of Shizuru's adoration for her. The prospect of being embarrassed from acting like this didn't even occur to her.

Her gambit paid off. Natsuki recognized the adoring expression on Shizuru's face quite clearly, and her tormentor started to bring a hand down to Natsuki's breast to finally relieve her of her misery. Shizuru's index finger met the tip of Natsuki's nipple, sending a quick spark of relief through it... but the hand stopped there. Natsuki let out a frustrated growl at Shizuru. What was holding her back now?

However, just as Natsuki let out this growl, Shizuru jumped into action. Her hand plunged down to quickly and fiercely grip the flesh of Natsuki's breast. At the same time, her head came down to meet Natsuki's other breast, sucking as much of it into her mouth as she could. Shizuru's left hand pulled back a bit on Natsuki's arms, bringing them in front of her head, but she was miraculously still able to keep them locked firmly in her grip.

The pleasure from Shizuru's sudden assault, which finally released all of the tension that had built up in Natsuki's breasts, was so intense that Natsuki couldn't even scream out her pleasure. Her throat had tensed up and clamped down. She could barely breathe, much less scream. She'd lost control of every muscle in her upper body; they all twitched and moved of their own accord, playing only to the tune of the waves of pleasure Shizuru was giving her.

As much as Natsuki thought that Shizuru was driving her crazy with her earlier teasing, her current treatment was doing much more to make her go insane. She couldn't tell whether she was feeling pleasure or pain anymore; she only knew that she loved it and that Shizuru was giving it to her. At the thought of Shizuru, she tried to focus on the girl, only to find that her eyes seemed to be clenched shut and weren't responding to her pleas with them.

Fortunately, Shizuru soon did make her presence known to Natsuki. She whispered into Natsuki's ear, "Please, Natsuki. I want to hear you. Scream for me." Natsuki hadn't even noticed that Shizuru's mouth had left her breasts, as the pleasure was still working through her body, and locating the source at this point was hopeless. However, this request from her lover succeeded in breaking the lock on her vocal cords, and Natsuki suddenly found herself panting and moaning out loud at all the beautiful sensations Shizuru's hand was still bringing her.

"Shizu... Shizu-ru... ru..." Natsuki panted out as Shizuru's mouth returned to tend to her other breast. Her lover's name was the only word she could make come to her lips, but she was glad that was it. Each utterance of it sent a wave of warmth through her heart, with a reminder of just how much Shizuru loved her, and how much she loved Shizuru in turn. It was a reminder that they weren't just having sex; they were making love. But still... something was starting to feel a bit off to Natsuki, though she wasn't able to think clearly enough to place it. "Shizuru..."

Shizuru backed off of Natsuki for a moment, giving her a brief reprieve in which she could try to set her thoughts straight about what could possibly seem wrong about this. She was with Shizuru, so what could be wrong? Just thinking about Shizuru now made her want to wrap her arms around her lover and hold her close and... _Oh_. Natsuki's arms strained briefly against Shizuru's grip as she instinctively tried to hug the girl, but Shizuru's grasp remained strong.

Natsuki let out a frustrated moan as she failed to extricate herself from her lover's hold. It had been alright before... it was sexy, a little kinky, and did wonders with teasing her into arousal, but now... it was just cruel. Natsuki whimpered as she tugged once more at Shizuru's hand, hoping that she would get the message to free her. However, Shizuru seemed to take no notice, and Natsuki soon found out why when she felt a hand rest on her abdomen and then slide lower.

Natsuki knew just what was coming, and she felt herself spreading her legs in anticipation of Shizuru's hand. The surfaced memories of all the wonderful sensations that hand had brought her pushed away her concerns about needing to free herself for a moment. However, just as Shizuru's fingertip met the top of her folds, the sharp bolt of pleasure through Natsuki made her once more impulsively try to wrap her arms around Shizuru and hold onto her just as she let out a sharp moan.

All of Shizuru's training and fighting with her element had paid off, however, as her grip remained firm, despite Natsuki's best efforts to free herself. She suffered – though it was hard to call it that – through more sharp bolts of pleasure as Shizuru started to circle her fingers around her clit. Natsuki's legs started to jerk around of their own accord, but her right was soon stabilized by a wet warmth coming to rest on it. Somewhere deep within Natsuki's mind, she knew that it was now pressing up against Shizuru's folds, and she hoped that her spasmodic jerking of it could do something for her girlfriend, particularly as she was incapable of doing anything else to return her love, restrained as she was.

Natsuki let out a loud, frustrated grunt. This had gone on far enough. She couldn't stand not being able to embrace Shizuru any longer. Unlike before, when it had helped to turn her on more, this was only holding her back now. It was embarrassing to think that she was so dependent on being able to hug Shizuru, but Natsuki was forced to admit it to herself. And maybe if she admitted it to Shizuru as well, she'd show some mercy...

"Shizuru..." Natsuki managed to get out between pants and moans. "Need... release... marrr-ah!" Her attempt to say "my arms" was cut off when Shizuru's fingers suddenly plunged deeper along her slit, forcing her to let out a yelp of pleasure. Natsuki kept trying to clarify, but Shizuru's fingers wouldn't let up on their assault of her most sensitive spots, and every motion caused another gasp, pant, or moan from her.

"Well, if it's release Natsuki wants..." Shizuru said, and a surge of hope swelled within Natsuki that she would soon be freed. Shizuru's fingers started to move with more focus, and they paused briefly just outside Natsuki's entrance. "Then she's in luck, as I intend to push her to release right... now!"

A bundle of fingers quickly jammed into Natsuki, splitting her open in a smooth motion. However, unlike the previous intrusions of Shizuru's fingers, this one brought with it a searing pain as Natsuki could feel her hymen being torn apart to accommodate Shizuru's much larger intrusion. The pain from this tore through the girl's mind, and she couldn't help but cry out from it. She made another desperate attempt to wrap her arms around Shizuru for support, and this time, she miraculously found that Shizuru had released her. Finally free, Natsuki shot her arms forward to grab Shizuru and pull her up against her body. She dug her head into the her lover's shoulder as she wept from the pain.

Natsuki could feel Shizuru's hand, which had previously held her prisoner, now stroking her back. Shizuru's head was at her ear, whispering soothing pronouncements of love and support, with even the occasional apology. As her mind cleared up, Natsuki started to focus more on the meaning of what they'd just done. By many people's standards, Shizuru had just taken her virginity. She'd considered it already gone, personally, though at least this step meant they'd never have to worry about that particular barrier again.

Natsuki also started to worry about how she was handling herself. It was just pain, after all, and she'd had a lot of experience with that, some of it much worse. So what was different now? The answer came to her almost as soon as she asked the question: _Shizuru_. Shizuru made her weak. At other times, she could just push all the pain aside, but Shizuru's presence and love brought everything Natsuki tried to suppress to the surface. Fortunately, she knew that this was the only time she'd ever have to feel pain from it. Even now, the pain had faded to a dull throb, and her senses were starting to focus again on the still-aroused state of her body.

Shizuru seemed to notice as Natsuki started to move her hips, wanting to feel the motion of her lover's fingers inside her. She withdrew all but two fingers from inside Natsuki, so she didn't have to stimulate the torn hymen more than necessary, and she started working them in and out within the girl. She also leaned herself forward, so that Natsuki's back could rest again on her bed.

Shizuru started to pull back, and she brought her free hand to attempt to remove Natsuki's arms from around her, but, realizing that her girlfriend wanted to go back to restraining her, Natsuki cut her off. "No..." she said. It was a bit easier to focus now, though her body was rapidly returning to its aroused state, and she knew that she'd soon be unable to speak through her moans. "I need..." The first moan came out as Shizuru's fingers hit a sensitive spot deep inside her. "To hold you..." Her message said, Natsuki once again let herself melt into the sensations, moaning softly with each thrust of her lover's hand.

It was hard to tell through all the distractions Shizuru's hand was providing, but Natsuki thought she might have heard Shizuru let out an unconscious whimper. Or perhaps it was simply one of her own, which she heard but didn't feel. She was having trouble keeping track through the barrage of pleasure. She was completely lost once she felt Shizuru's soft lips make contact with her neck, and she had to strain to hear the words Shizuru spoke between kisses.

"If that's what Natsuki needs..." Shizuru said. Her voice was soft and filled with affection. Just hearing the tone sent a burst of warmth through Natsuki's chest. This warmth was met by the waves of pleasure Shizuru's hand was bringing her, and they played together, amplifying each other. Further words from Shizuru kept the sensual flame alive within Natsuki. "I'm so glad we're doing this, Natsuki... I'm learning so much about how you work."

Shizuru kissed her way up to Natsuki's ear, where she continued her sweet words. The love in her tone nearly caused her voice to crack many times as she spoke. "I'm really pleased to find that you're such a sexual girl, despite the front you put on. But when it comes to me, you allow yourself to open up so much. This sexual Natsuki is only for me, and so I intend to nurture her as best as I can."

With this promise, Shizuru shifted her position a bit. She curled her free arm in under Natsuki and held her up against her own body. This brought her face a bit closer to the girl's ear, and before talking again, she took a moment to bring her tongue out and lick deep inside it. The tender contact made Natsuki let out a high-pitched yelp, and her whole body started to shudder. Shizuru held her steady though, and she kept up the motions of her fingers inside the girl. The strokes were smooth and slow, hitting so many tender spots within Natsuki. Her state of arousal was being pushed higher and higher by Shizuru's show of love.

"I love you, Natsuki," Shizuru whispered into her ear. Just these words made Natsuki's body shiver. Even despite the attention her body was receiving lower, her breasts once more started to ache with need. Fortunately, Shizuru squeezed her closer in their embrace, and the pressure did wonders to ease her discomfort. "And I love making love to you as well," Shizuru continued. "So kinky and a bit rough to start off with... but in the end, it's sweetness that you need to take you all the way. It's just like you, really... Rough on the outside, but such a sweet, sweet, girl hiding within..."

Natsuki couldn't imagine being in a more perfect state than this. Her body was aflame with passion and only moments away from exploding in ecstasy, and she was entangled in an embrace with the woman of her dreams, who was currently whispering so many loving words into her ear. The pleasure within her was no longer coming and going with the thrusts of Shizuru's fingers; it was now simply building ever higher. Natsuki's body started to jerk uncontrollably underneath Shizuru's, and she could feel her vaginal muscles starting to spasm, trying to clamp down on Shizuru's fingers.

"I love you... my Natsuki." Shizuru's fingers curled in, and she squeezed the palm of her hand up against Natsuki's clit. Natsuki's mind flashed back to a week ago, when she'd done much the same thing to push Shizuru over the edge her first time, but the thoughts were soon wiped from her mind in an explosion of pleasure.

Natsuki squeezed Shizuru as if her life depended on it, and she screamed out from the overwhelming pleasure. Her mind was overwhelmed with the simple thought of being loved by Shizuru. It was the best thing that had ever happened to her. It was her reason for living, to be with the only person who could ever love her this much, the only person who could ever get her to open herself up enough to reach moments such as these.

When Natsuki started to feel herself falling from her peak, she clutched Shizuru even more desperately for support. She became sharply aware of every point of contact between herself and her lover, but her mind was particularly drawn to the palm of Shizuru's hand, which was still held firmly against her clit. The small nub had started to feel oversensitive since she reached her peak, but the constant pressure couldn't be described as unpleasant. If anything, it was holding her up in her state of high arousal. Almost as soon as Natsuki felt herself descending, the pressure from Shizuru's hand pushed her up again. She felt a brief moment of fear that her body wouldn't be able to handle that stimulation again so soon, but there was no chance to turn back.

Natsuki let out a shriek as her climax hit for a second time. Every nerve in her body lit up with pleasure. It was too good, too perfect... doing this with Shizuru... her love... her life...

Natsuki's mind was reeling as she started to fall once more. She didn't even know if Shizuru's hand had remained where it was, but she could feel her body jerking in pleasure still, as if the girl were still thrusting her fingers into her. She was held safe though, she knew. She couldn't focus her mind enough to tell if Shizuru was holding her, but she knew that it had to be true. She tried to focus on holding Shizuru for support, but her mind was too worn out to think straight. She could only trust Shizuru to hold her as the ability to think at all slipped from her.

* * *

"Ara ara, what has Natsuki gotten herself into now?"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki said. Her arms instinctively tried to move out towards the girl, but the restraints on her wrists held them back. "I don't know, I just woke up, and I was tied down to my bed. Could you just untie me please, Shizuru?"

"Ara, now why would I want to do that?" Shizuru said. As she approached Natsuki, she was able to catch a devious glint in her eyes. She reached Natsuki's bed and bent over it, placing one hand on each side of her head as she moved her face down to mere inches away from Natsuki's. "I finally have Natsuki right where I want her."

"Heh, no-" Natsuki trailed off as she realized that she was still speaking from the script in her mind. Shaking herself out of it, she said with a stern look on her face, "Untie me, Shizuru."

"No." Shizuru glared back at Natsuki with an equally stern – and yet still playful – expression. Natsuki wasn't getting anywhere. Shizuru was in charge for tonight.

Although the thought of being at Shizuru's mercy did send a wave of heat through Natsuki's body, it was frustrating to be roped – literally – into this just because her girlfriend was in a kinky mood. It wasn't that she didn't feel in the mood or that she didn't think she'd enjoy it, it was that... well... It was frustrating, and it was prone to get much more frustrating before it was all over.

Letting out a frustrated growl as she tried to ignore Shizuru's fingers trailing down her chest, Natsuki made a last-ditch plea for a little mercy. "Before it's over then..." she said. She bit her lip for a second, and then swallowed her embarrassment. "Just let me hug you then, or you'll drive me crazy before you bring me to come..."

Shizuru's lips met Natsuki's for a brief moment. When Shizuru pulled back, a touched smile was on her face. "I can never refuse Natsuki when she blushes so prettily for me. Alright then, I promise."

Natsuki smiled as she felt a fire being lit deep within her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whew! Another long one. You can understand why my updates tend to take so long. Rest assured though, I have no intentions of abandoning any of my fics currently in progress. I'll likely be off to work on Oneesama next. Perhaps after a scene like this, I might just do a regular chapter first, and then do the special smutty one. But can I really resist the call of the smut and Shizuru's incessant pleading? Time will tell...

Also, some notes on the anatomy of the hymen, which many people seem to get wrong. It's not a complete covering in actuality; more just a crescent or circle at the opening. It's also quite flexible, so it's possible to slip a finger or two in without damaging it. However, Shizuru kind of forgot herself in this chapter and went a bit overboard, not realizing until after the fact what she'd done.

**Japanese Notes:**

_Mou_ – An interjection expressing frustration or disappointment.


	10. Living the Dream

**Author's Note:** Dun dun duh! I'm back to update this fic at long last. I know that many people have been waiting for this update, so I'll try not to disappoint you. I finally have an idea of how to continue this story with a new arc, but this current one requires some resolution first.

Also, I don't like to beg for reviews, but they are a big factor in what keeps me writing. My last update for Crimson Maiden only got a handful of reviews, so I wonder if interest might be fading there. If nothing else, I use the reviews I get as a measure of how interested in, and passionate about a story readers are. So please, be sure to let me know what you like. ;) (And yes, you're welcome to mention here that you're itching for a continuation of something else.)

I'm marking this fic as complete now, but don't be surprised if you see an epilogue (you'll probably be able to guess what it will include) and a sequel coming sooner or later.

This chapter was betaed by Yuri-hime, who gets my profound thanks for helping out.

X-X-X

**Title:** Perchance to Dream

**Rating:** M

**Chapter 10:** Living the Dream

X-X-X

_Ara ara... I think I broke Natsuki..._

Shizuru smiled at the "broken" form of her lover lying on the bed beneath her and gave her a quick kiss in apology. Natsuki was utterly worn out now, without even the energy to keep her arms wrapped around Shizuru. The sight of Natsuki like this made her heart ache in her chest. She was completely vulnerable and relaxed in Shizuru's presence. She'd given herself over completely to her lover. She was even blushing throughout her body, just so Shizuru could enjoy the sight all the more. _Well maybe not entirely for that reason, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt._

Inspecting Natsuki's reddened body was starting to stir things up within Shizuru. That certainly wasn't good right now. Natsuki was far too worn out to take anymore, and yet she was still far too alluring for Shizuru to stand. She was cute, too – she always was when she slept. Perhaps Shizuru could focus on that. Focus on how her blush made her look adorable. Cute reddened cheeks, with just a little glint on them from the tears she'd squeezed out during her – _No! Don't think about that!_

"Ara... I just can't seem to control myself around you, Natsuki," Shizuru said to her snoozing lover. "Though I guess you know that very well by now. Even so, I can't help but want to do more for you, to make you feel the touch of heaven a million times, all in thanks for loving me." Shizuru brushed a lock of Natsuki's hair off of her face and gave her forehead a kiss. "Rest well for now, Natsuki. I'll go and make us something to eat, because I simply can't trust myself in your presence a moment longer. Love you."

The message seemed to get through to Natsuki on some level, as she murmured back something that fell somewhere between "Love you" and "Zuru." Shizuru giggled at this and planted another kiss on her love's forehead. She looked around the room briefly until she found the pillow she'd given Natsuki to cuddle with while she slept. She passed the pillow to the still-sleeping girl on the bed, who reacted by rolling over so that she could throw an arm on top of it, so that she could hug it with minimal effort. Shizuru couldn't help but giggle again at her girlfriend's adorable behavior as she pulled the bedsheets over Natsuki.

Shizuru picked up her discarded clothes from the floor and got redressed. They were pretty wrinkled by this point, but they would be good enough for just around the apartment. After this it was a fight, but eventually Shizuru was able to tear herself away from the image of Natsuki cuddling with her pillow while she rested. She paused as she closed the bedroom door behind her, so that she could take a breath and clear her head.

It was only once she did this that Shizuru realized just how muddied her head had been in the presence of Natsuki. _Or perhaps "muddied" isn't the best word... "preoccupied," maybe? Or maybe simply "in love" describes it well enough._

Shizuru let out a sigh as she started to drift to the kitchen. Life was good. She was finally able to accept that simple fact. It was a wonder that it had eluded her for so long. She had been able to accept that she was with Natsuki since the week before – Natsuki had made that quite impossible to deny – but she'd been walking through her life as if it were a dream she might wake up from at any moment. She'd finally woken up, but she'd woken up to the fact that this was indeed her life now.

Shizuru found herself humming a tune to herself as she searched through Natsuki's cupboards for something suitable for breakfast. She was infected with love, there was no denying it. There was also no denying that Natsuki had horrible eating habits, once Shizuru saw what she kept stocked. She'd have to work on convincing her girlfriend to keep some healthier foods around so that she could have a proper meal once in a while. Of course, Natsuki would insist that it was all fine as long as she exercised it off, and that would give Shizuru the opening to request that her girlfriend at least stock it for when Shizuru was over and wanted a bite to eat. _"Doesn't Natsuki care about her girlfriend?" with a sniffle for good measure. Perfect, Natsuki will love it!_

It took until the last cupboard she opened, but eventually Shizuru found something that appealed to her, even if it wasn't food. With a grin, she pulled the box of teabags out of the cupboard, reminding herself to thank Natsuki later for the thought. A flash of white from the cupboard caught her eye just as the box was removed, and Shizuru looked up to find a note where the box had been.

_Shame on you for snooping, Shizuru! I knew I wouldn't be able to trust you around my dorm room unsupervised. You now owe me a sandwich slathered in mayo if you want my forgiveness._

_Oh, and I hope you enjoy the tea... Not sure where you usually get tea leaves to make it properly, so I did the best I could._

Shizuru had to restrain a whimper at this. Even when she was asleep in the other room, Natsuki wouldn't let up with her cute attacks. Well, if that was what Natsuki was willing to do for mayo, Shizuru wasn't one to disappoint. She grabbed a loaf of bread out of the cupboard and went to the fridge for some mayo and something a bit healthier. Of course, with how Natsuki stocked her kitchen, the best Shizuru could come up with a ham, swiss, and mayo sandwich. She'd just have to be sure to help Natsuki work off the fat later, hopefully in a very enjoyable manner.

Once the sandwich was ready, Shizuru microwaved herself up a cup of tea and went in to check on Natsuki. She'd rolled over now, so Shizuru could see a cute smile on her face, which of course ended up being infectious. Blowing a quick kiss to her love, Shizuru left her to rest while she went to enjoy her tea, and possibly also to snoop around a bit more and find out how Natsuki liked to pass her time.

X-X-X

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Gah!" Natsuki jolted, as Shizuru caught her out sneaking up behind her. "How do you do that? I barely made a noise!"

"Ara..." Shizuru grinned as she turned her chair around so that she could face her lover. "I could never miss even the slightest sound from my Natsuki. How could she expect any less from me?"

"Hmph!" Natsuki said with a pout. She turned off to the side as she said, "Well I was going to surprise you with a hug, but I guess I won't now..."

Shizuru smirked at this. So Natsuki thought she could tease her, did she? She really should know better by now. Or perhaps she was doing this deliberately to provoke Shizuru into teasing her back. Well, far be it for Shizuru to disappoint. "Ara, then I guess I won't be able to surprise Natsuki with the special mayo sandwich I prepared for her..."

"M-m-mayo?" At just that one word, Natsuki broke down into what Shizuru liked to call "cute mode." "You... you made me lunch?"

"Well, I was planning for it to be breakfast," Shizuru said, "but I guess it is closer to lunch now. However, if Natsuki no longer wishes to supply me with a hug, the most basic show of affection, then I guess I'll have to go and dispose of it..."

"NO!!" Natsuki snapped in panic. It took her a moment, but she regained control of herself. "I mean, no, you don't have to. Here..." Natsuki approached Shizuru and bent down to give her a hug. She gave her girlfriend a loving squeeze, and then topped it off with a kiss on her cheek. "There. So you know I'm not just doing this for mayo."

Shizuru brought a hand up to her cheek to cover the rising blush. "Ara, but then how will I tease Natsuki about it?"

Natsuki glared at Shizuru for a moment. "You'll live," she said, before turning off to head towards the kitchen.

Shizuru got up to follow Natsuki. "But Natsuki needs a high dose of teasing to keep her in 'cute mode'..."

Natsuki turned back to glare at Shizuru again as she reached the table. "I can do that just fine on my own, thank you very much. And I prefer to call it 'girlfriend mode.'"

Shizuru had to pause in her step as Natsuki's words hit her. They came out so easily, and they so casually professed both their new relationship and how Natsuki felt about it. An image flashed through Shizuru's mind of Natsuki boldly declaring their relationship to their friends: "Yeah, I have a girlfriend. What of it?" _Ahh... so sweet..._

Finding the box of teabags again so that she could make herself another cup while Natsuki had her lunch, Shizuru decided that with that comment Natsuki had earned herself a special tease in thanks.

"Well how about we compromise then? We can call it 'puppy mode.'"

"What? No!" Natsuki protested, the shock of this statement even making her lose sight of her mayo sandwich. "That one's even worse! How is that a compromise?"

"Ara... well if Natsuki thinks that one is worse, then I guess we can go with 'cute mode.'" Shizuru placed her teacup in the microwave as she watched Natsuki out of the corner of her eye. Such a beautiful blush she had. And she was enjoying this too, Shizuru was sure now. _Such a precious girl... I truly don't deserve her._

"Oh no, you don't!"

Shizuru gave Natsuki an impish half-grin. "Well, if we call it 'girlfriend mode,' can I at least call Natsuki my puppy?"

Natsuki paused for a second, blinking rapidly. "What? ...Fine, whatever, but that's not what I meant. You sighed! I saw it!"

It was Shizuru's turn to pause as she was about to start the microwave. "Ara? What does Natsuki mean?"

"Don't you 'Ara' me!" Natsuki pressed up against Shizuru, allowing her to see the emotion in Natsuki's eyes. She was frustrated now, certainly, but there was also a deep concern and sadness in her expression. "You have to stop doing this, Shizuru!"

"Doing what, Natsuki?"

"Sighing like that!" Natsuki said. It almost looked like she was trembling as she said this. "Feeling guilt, like you don't deserve this. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

"Natsuki... I..." Shizuru's mind blanked as she stumbled for the words. She'd thought she'd already been able to get over this, at least well enough, but she still fell into that same trap of feeling like she didn't deserve Natsuki. But was it really so bad to feel that way? "You really don't need to worry about me. I'll probably always feel like Natsuki is too good to be true. Isn't that just a part of being in love?"

Natsuki stared at Shizuru for a few seconds, her features slowly softening. "I don't know. Maybe. I just don't want you to feel any more guilt..." Natsuki looked down, gritting her teeth for a moment. "Sorry, Shizuru... maybe this is my fault. I haven't been able to use the last couple of coupons yet, and I keep worrying that you'll feel guilty about your past until I do."

"Natsuki..." Shizuru placed a finger below Natsuki's chin, pulling her face up. She leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Natsuki's lips, hoping that it would help calm her doubts. It always worked when Natsuki kissed her like that, certainly. "Please... don't worry. I'm fine now. What you did for me today helped me finally accept that this is my life now, and although I may be ecstatic about it and feel like it's too good to be true, I know it is."

Natsuki stood stunned for a moment from the kiss, her face slowly softening into a small smile. "I helped you...? But... what did I do?"

Shizuru smiled down at her girlfriend, and she had to resist the urge to kiss her again – at least for the time being. "It was reading Natsuki's journal that did it. I felt like I was living a dream until today, but the realization that Natsuki was having her own troubles and everything wasn't perfect made it all clear to me. This was my life, troubles and all. I admit, I probably didn't react to that with my usual composure, but I don't think Natsuki would argue I was upset with the realization."

Natsuki's face slowly turned a lovely shade of red, until it was simply impossible for Shizuru to resist kissing her any longer. Of course, doing this only made her blush more. She backed off from the source of her torment and tried to cough out the blush. Fortunately for Shizuru, it didn't work. "Um...well, I have to say, you did kind of help me with my fears as well..." Natsuki's face shot through to purple now. "My dreams just then were... not... so bad..."

A huge grin tugged at Shizuru's lips as she heard this. Natsuki was blushing this badly, and handing her even more teasing fodder? Such a sweet gift couldn't be turned down. "Ara...? Natsuki was having naughty dreams about me?"

It was just unfortunate that Natsuki's blush was already at maximum, but she did still seem to become cuter by the moment. "It's your fault..." she mumbled. "You're the one that makes me feel that way..."

_Too cute! Can't resist...!_ Shizuru bounded forward and grabbed Natsuki in her arms, hugging as if her life depended on it. Natsuki nuzzled into Shizuru's neck when they came together, causing Shizuru to let out an unconscious whimper of delight. "Good puppy... Love you, 'suki..."

"Yeah..." Natsuki said. She planted a quick kiss on Shizuru's neck. "You too... Zuru." Natsuki reluctantly pulled back from the hug, revealing that she'd mostly recovered from her blush attack by now. "Can I have my mayo now, or are you going to torment me some more?"

Shizuru could have used this as the impetus for more teasing, but she decided it was time for a more important lesson now. "I'll tell you what, Natsuki," she said, unable to keep an impish smile from forming on her face. "If you can look me in the eyes and tell me I'm teasing you too much, I'll leave you alone." Shizuru certainly wasn't planning to let Natsuki forget that she'd finally admitted to enjoying her teasing. Of course, that didn't mean she'd be letting up. Quite the opposite, even.

Natsuki froze solid when Shizuru said this. It took many long minutes before she thawed, shaking nervously as she tried to look Shizuru in the eyes. Shizuru tried to keep a straight face as Natsuki's mouth opened and closed, her face periodically twitching. Eventually she surrendered, letting out a defeated sigh. "...You're evil, you know that? I'm getting my sandwich. Revenge later."

Shizuru didn't bother to stifle her laughter at Natsuki's reaction, knowing full well it would just make her blush. "Evil, perhaps. But I do want Natsuki to know that she can get me to stop anytime she wants. Hopefully that knowledge will make her blush even more when she doesn't ask me to stop."

Natsuki glared back at Shizuru as she sat down at the table. "Drink your tea woman, and make me another sandwich. I need to think up appropriate revenge for you."

_And the revenge is another delicious benefit._ "Ara, yes Natsuki-sama."

X-X-X

"Gotcha!"

"Ah-haha..." Shizuru burst into laughter as Natsuki tackled her onto the couch. "Did Natsuki finally think up her revenge?"

"Quiet!" Natsuki grabbed Shizuru's hands and held them down to her side. Once her hands were secure she rolled Shizuru over onto her back and leaned down on her. The sound of the television vanished as Natsuki grabbed the remote to shut it off. "I may not be able to sneak up on you," she said. "But I can still surprise you. Any last words?"

Shizuru didn't bother to hide her smile, as she knew Natsuki couldn't see it from her position. But she kept her tone of voice appropriate as she played along. "No, Natsuki-sama. You have captured me, and I am powerless to stop you from molesting me as you please. I know that I deserve it."

"Damn right you deserve it," Natsuki said. She grabbed Shizuru's wrists together with one hand and shifted off to the side, hopefully to free up more access to Shizuru's body. Shizuru's hopes were confirmed as she felt Natsuki's free hand creeping down her back, covering her rear and giving it a squeeze. Natsuki was surprisingly gentle, given her dominant position and behavior, but Shizuru certainly wasn't complaining.

Shizuru let her eyes drift shut as Natsuki massaged her rear. She could feel a pleasant warmth starting to spread through her at this treatment, and she let out a moan. "Suki..."

Natsuki leaned down to plant a kiss on the back of Shizuru's neck, which felt almost feather-light through her hair. Natsuki's warm breath then met with Shizuru's ear, and she whispered, "I've decided on your punishment Shizuru, and here it is..." A warmth burst up within Shizuru's chest as she heard this, hoping that Natsuki had something truly kinky in mind. "Two weeks, no tea."

Those four words snapped Shizuru out of her lustful haze in an instant. She turned her head to look up at Natsuki as best she could and said, "Ara, Natsuki, that's not fair..."

"I think it's quite fair, given the magnitude of what you got out of me," Natsuki said. Her voice betrayed no hint that she might be joking. Shizuru tried to plead with sad eyes, but they were roundly ignored. "You should consider yourself lucky even. After your two weeks are up you're in the clear, but you'll still have my admission over me. I'm being more merciful than you deserve."

"But... Natsuki... Puppy..." Shizuru could already feel the pangs of withdrawal starting to hit her, just from the thought. Natsuki wouldn't really do this to her, would she?

"Shizuru, listen carefully to me..." Natsuki said. Her voice was thick and heavy, right next to Shizuru's ear. Shizuru couldn't help but focus on it as Natsuki continued, perfectly calmly: "Just kidding."

Shizuru's face was red in a second. She'd fallen for Natsuki's tease, hook, line, and sinker. Natsuki had been able to make her blush before, certainly, but that was always through being surprisingly sweet, or just in making love. This was the first time Natsuki had landed a successful tease. Was this how Natsuki felt when Shizuru did it to her? She could see how Natsuki would certainly have a love-hate relationship with it.

The weight of Natsuki on top of Shizuru disappeared, but Shizuru wasn't paying it much mind. She was more focused on the good feelings this tease brought up within her. It certainly showed to her that Natsuki really cared about her to do this, which was quite touching. It also made her feel more vulnerable, softer. That was definitely something good to inflict on Natsuki, to help break through her rough exterior. Natsuki may have won this round, but Shizuru was as determined as ever to keep up her assaults on Natsuki. Such a sweet girl deserved nothing less.

A flash of light pulled Shizuru out of her thoughts, and she looked up to find that Natsuki had climbed back on top of her and snapped a picture. Natsuki grinned victoriously as she checked the picture. "Ah, perfect. You've really got quite the adorable blush, Shizuru."

Shizuru pouted at this. "Did Natsuki really need to take a picture? She can make me blush anytime just by being sweet to me..."

"Hey, I may never pull this off again!" Natsuki protested. She shut the camera off and placed it on the table, giving Shizuru a smirk. "Let me have something to commemorate my victory."

"Mmm... alright, Natsuki," Shizuru said. She was able to find enough room under Natsuki so that she could roll over and look up at her girlfriend, now that she wasn't being forcibly pinned down. "But you can be sure that I'll be expecting my own souvenirs from my own victories."

Natsuki narrowed her eyes, glaring down at Shizuru. "I'm not sure it's the best idea to promise revenge when I have you in such a compromising position, love."

Natsuki's tone of voice was just what Shizuru needed to reignite the spark of lust within her. Was Natsuki hinting at something fun now? She'd given Shizuru just enough earlier that she was starting to ache for more – at least now that her tease was over. Shizuru looked up at Natsuki, giving her best "trapped puppy" eyes as she said, "Is Natsuki-sama going to molest me again? She has access to even more intimate parts this time..."

"Hrm..." Natsuki seemed to consider this as she traced her hands over Shizuru's stomach, causing shivers to run through Shizuru's body at her feather-light touch. Her hands came up to just below the swell of Shizuru's breasts before they paused, taunting Shizuru with the touch she so desired. "Perhaps I could do that. On the other hand, perhaps I could do... _this_!"

Natsuki's fingers dissolved into a blur as she furiously started to tickle Shizuru's ribs. Shizuru screamed out in shock, her shrieks dissolving into uncontrollable laughter as Natsuki began to torment her. It would have been impossible for her to keep her composure even if she'd wanted to, such was the power of Natsuki's fingers on her body. As it was, Shizuru at least tried to eke out a minor victory by refusing to plead for mercy until Natsuki was done with her.

This became harder and harder to do hough, as Natsuki started to apply her fingers to other parts of Shizuru's body. Her armpits were the next target to be hit, and then her sides, and then Natsuki's hands started attacking Shizuru at random, forcing Shizuru to at last cry out for mercy, "Ah, stop... stop...."

"Oh, I'll stop," Natsuki said, relenting just enough for Shizuru to focus on her words given sufficient effort, "as soon as you admit something sufficiently embarrassing to me."

Shizuru took just a moment to consider Natsuki's words, but it was a moment too long. Natsuki resumed her assault on Shizuru's senses, and all she could think about was trying to come up with something to say to get herself out, embarrassment be damned. Besides, it was Natsuki. She'd find out everything sooner or later anyways.

"Ah-ha... ah! Okay, okay!" Natsuki might have been tormenting Shizuru at the moment, but she wasted no time in relenting when Shizuru offered surrender. She even let Shizuru take a moment to catch her breath without calling her on a false surrender. "Alright... I... I enjoy it when Natsuki is dominant," Shizuru said, her head turned to the side so as not to face Natsuki directly as she admitted this.

Shizuru couldn't inspect Natsuki's expression from her position, so she was surprised when she received a grunt from the girl. "I already figured that one out. You weren't exactly subtle about begging me to molest you."

Shizuru looked over at Natsuki as she heard this, once again giving the girl her best puppy eyes in hopes that she could avoid more tickling. "Is Natsuki going to torture another confession out of me then? She should know that I respond much better to positive reinforcement..."

The puppy eyes seemed to work this time, or at least Natsuki had had her fill of tormenting Shizuru. She let out a sigh and allowed herself to lie down on Shizuru, looking right into her eyes. "Eh, I guess you've had enough. My bloodlust is sated, at least for the time being." Natsuki lowered her head the couple extra inches necessary for her lips to meet with Shizuru's, giving her girlfriend a slow and soft kiss.

"Ara..." Shizuru smiled at the image of cuteness just above her once Natsuki withdrew. She was sure that she had a blush on her cheeks once again, and she hoped the Natsuki was appreciating it just as much as she was appreciating her love's visage. "Does that mean I get my cuddle-puppy back?"

Natsuki glared at Shizuru. She was probably trying to look strong, but it just made her even cuter in Shizuru's current mood. "Maybe. If you can come up with something else embarrassing that I don't know, then we can see about some 'positive reinforcement.'"

Shizuru pouted and stuck out her tongue at Natsuki. "Ikezu."

All Shizuru was rewarded with for this was another glare from Natsuki. "Don't try to tempt me with that tongue. Secret first, then I'll deal with your tongue."

"Fine, fine..." Shizuru said with a sigh. She rolled her head off to the side as she tried to think something up. An idea quickly arose, but she just as quickly discarded it. _Oh no, I'm certainly not telling Natsuki about _that_ just yet. I have to think of something else..._

"Oi!" Natsuki's cry made Shizuru look up at her again. "You just did think of something, didn't you? Well, spit it out, or no molestation for you!"

Shizuru let out a sigh. There was no helping it then. But perhaps she could at least bargain for a few perks in exchange. She wrapped her arms around Natsuki and looked up into her love's eyes. "Alright, but it's a big one. Will Natsuki promise to actually molest me this time? And let me provide her with some supplies?"

Natsuki blinked at this. "Supplies?"

Shizuru gave her girlfriend her mischievous grin. "Well, if Natsuki doesn't want her captive to escape, she's going to want to restrain her properly. And then she's going to need the proper tools if she wants to completely overwhelm her captive with pleasure..."

"Okay!" Natsuki cut Shizuru off, her cheeks filling with an adorable pink. "Fine, fine, you can get your toys. At least this way you aren't springing them on me. Now come on, out with it!"

"Natsuki wa ikezu..." Shizuru said, giving an exaggerated sniffle. "I would never use something on her she wasn't prepared for... does she think me some sort of perverted rapist? This from my own girlfrie-ah!" Shizuru's attempted tease was cut off as Natsuki sat back up, and started viciously tickling Shizuru's ribs and sides again. "Ahhh! Sorry, sorry!"

After an extra couple seconds of tickling for good measure, Natsuki relented. "Alright, now you tell me this second, or for every second you make me wait, you're getting a minute of tickling."

"Alright, alright!" Shizuru said. She took a deep breath to help steady her voice, closed her eyes, and forced the words out. "I'm nervous about telling my father about you because I know he'll tease me about it."

Shizuru had been expecting laughter from Natsuki – a snicker at least. What she hadn't been expecting was a coo of adoration. She opened up her eyes just in time to see Natsuki coming in to catch her in a kiss. Confused as she might be, of course she could never refuse a kiss from her beloved. Even now, kissing Natsuki gave her the same thrill it did their first time. Natsuki's lips were so sweet that Shizuru had completely forgotten about why they were kissing by the time Natsuki pulled back.

"Sorry, Shizuru..." Natsuki said. "The thought of you getting teased as a child by your father was just too cute. I couldn't resist." Shizuru pouted at this, but Natsuki roundly ignored it. She brought a hand to cup Shizuru's cheek, which Shizuru couldn't help but cuddle into as her pout faded. "It's fine, love. You can come out to him whenever you're ready. But I do still want to meet your parents sometime soon, so don't put it off too long."

Shizuru smiled at her love. Natsuki was just too good to be true. Except she wasn't allowed to think that now. _Hmm... how about: Natsuki is so good she deserves to take me as her sex slave tonight, along with a large bag of goodies for her to use as she pleases. Perfect._ "Thank you. Natsuki is truly too sweet."

"Thanks." Natsuki said. Her lips pulled up in an amused grin. "But don't think I didn't notice that look on your face. I swear, you're just insatiable. Can't you at least wait until after dinner? I wanted to just take the afternoon easy to regain my energy. Maybe cuddle with you while watching TV or playing video games, and look where you've gotten us!"

"Sorry, Natsuki..." Shizuru said, trying to give Natsuki a chagrined look instead of letting her mind drift into thoughts of Natsuki punishing her for being a naughty girl. "But...what did you mean by video games?"

Natsuki sat back up, finally freeing Shizuru from her weight, which Shizuru immediately missed of course. Shizuru pulled herself up to a sitting position, hoping that Natsuki might choose to cuddle up against her soon. Sadly, she was just a bit distracted with their conversation at this moment, and her cute blush was starting to distract Shizuru as well. "Er...well, I thought maybe I could try to teach you to play some of my games. Thought it might be something fun to do together..."

Shizuru couldn't help herself. She pounced forwards and grabbed Natsuki in a happy hug. "I'd love to, Natsuki." Shizuru couldn't really explain it, but the thought of just having fun and passing the time with Natsuki sounded better than anything else in the world.

_Well... almost anything. But the anticipation will make it all the better. I just hope Natsuki will be ready to make me explode tonight._

"Oi, Shizuru... you're making that face again."

"Ara, then Natsuki had better start distracting me."


	11. Epilogue 1: Being in Love

**Author's Note:** Hey there, everyone! I'm back to add a little extra to this fic with a couple epilogues. I'm calling these epilogues as they aren't really tied into any of the main storylines or character development; they're basically just bonus fluff and smut. Of course, that's a worthwhile goal in and of itself, so I hope you enjoy this treat!

Also, much love to my beta, yuri-hime, who is unfortunately out ill right now so couldn't help with this chapter. Let me know if you spot any mistakes I left in.

**Japanese Note:** Suki = love (one of the many words for it. Shizuru just uses this one for the wordplay with "Natsuki")

X-X-X

**Title:** Perchance to Dream

**Rating:** M

**Epilogue 1:** Being in Love

X-X-X

"So soft..." Shizuru said, letting out a purr. The simple sound of Shizuru's bliss sent a wave of pleasure through Natsuki, and she couldn't help smiling.

Natsuki paused her game and looked over at her girlfriend's face, which she had snuggled into a pillow and blanket on the couch. Her eyes were closed, and she had a content smile on her face. "You certainly are easy to please," Natsuki said. "You sure you're fine just watching me play? As much watching as you can do with your eyes closed, that is?"

"I've got my Suki, I'm good," Shizuru said. She nuzzled into the blanket a bit more and said, "Natsuki keeps such soft things around. She must look so cute cuddling with this..."

Natsuki was torn. Part of her wanted to yell out "Oi!" and go into blush-mode, while another part of her was entranced with just how cute Shizuru looked cuddling with that blanket. Eventually, her adoration for Shizuru won out, but just barely. She turned back to her game, trying to avoid looking at Shizuru as she grumbled out, "I like to imagine it's your hair... it's just as soft."

"Ara!" Shizuru said with a gleeful squeal. She adjusted herself on the couch so she could lean against Natsuki. She placed the blanket on her girlfriend's shoulder and rested her head on it while she snuggled her body up against Natsuki's. "Then as thanks for Natsuki being so adorable, she's free to rest her head in my hair as much as she wants now."

It took Natsuki a moment to process what Shizuru was saying, paralyzed as she was by the rush from feeling her girlfriend so close to her. The feeling of Shizuru's body pressed up against hers was not just soft and cuddly, it was arousing as hell. There was an aching need building in her chest that she had trouble ignoring, and her whole body felt like it was heating up. What was wrong with her? She should have been fine with just cuddling with Shizuru; it was what she wanted to spent the afternoon doing, after all, and Shizuru was gladly obliging her.

In hopes that focusing on something else would help calm her down, Natsuki unpaused her game and resumed playing. After a moment, she allowed her head to come to a rest on Shizuru's, letting out a sigh from the feeling of her girlfriend's soft hair against her cheek. Shizuru let out a contended purr and rubbed her head into Natsuki's face and neck.

Natsuki was able to calm down a bit as she focused more on her game, though this only worked for a couple of minutes. Shizuru adjusted herself again, allowing her head to come to a rest on the couch just behind Natsuki, which had the unfortunately arousing side-effect of letting Shizuru's breath blow right into Natsuki's ear. Natsuki tried to adjust herself a bit so it wouldn't be so bothersome, but somehow she just ended up with Shizuru's breath hitting her more directly. She couldn't tell if it was her subconscious betraying her or Shizuru playing games with her. Both possibilities seemed a bit too likely.

Shaking her head to try and clear, Natsuki went back to her game, if only so she could get to a save point. Her playing slowed down as more and more of her mind focused on Shizuru's breathing. When she'd focused on that as much as possible, she started thinking about all the points of contact between Shizuru's body and her own, and then even thinking about just how all this was making her feel.

"Puppy..." Shizuru whispered. All Natsuki could do was let out a whimper in reply. "Mmm... you were right. This is a very nice way to spend the afternoon..."

_Damn it! I can't lose control now. I made this suggestion, so I can't just abandon it as soon as Shizuru's started to enjoy it._ Natsuki took a few deep breaths to steady herself, and then refocused on trying to rush to a save point in her game. If Shizuru noticed this, she made no comment on it. Natsuki was at last able to make it, so she saved her game shut of the television. She could just focus on cuddling with Shizuru now, and she put up with her arousal for Shizuru's sake.

"Mmm, Natsuki-suki..." Shizuru said, turning towards her girlfriend and wrapping her arms around her to pull her against her body. "You don't have to do that for me. I was having fun watching you play..."

"It's... it's alright," Natsuki said, trying to get her mind off of the fact that Shizuru's breasts were now pressed up against her side. _Damn, they're so soft..._

"Ara..." Shizuru nuzzled into the side of Natsuki's head for a moment. After her nose passed by Natsuki's ear, Shizuru whispered into it, "Natsuki's such a cute little cuddle-puppy, isn't she..."

"Uh... yeah..." Natsuki managed to get out. She instinctively moved closer to Shizuru, trying to go into her puppy mode for her girlfriend. That was a lot safer. She wasn't at risk of exploding from repressed arousal that way. Not to mention, she did kind of enjoy being Shizuru's cuddle-puppy.

It was just Natsuki's bad luck that Shizuru chose that moment to start nibbling on her girlfriend's earlobe. "Ara, what do we have here...?" Shizuru said in a brief break between nibbling on Natsuki's earlobe and kissing it.

"Mm... my ear..." Natsuki said. Her voice came out almost as a squeak, and this realization only made the blush on her cheeks worse. There was no way Shizuru hadn't noticed it by now. Knowing her, she probably had a mental catalog of all of Natsuki's blushes. She had to be doing this on purpose, having identified Natsuki's "aroused" blush.

"Hmm, I don't think so..." Shizuru said softly. She reached her tongue out to gently lick the inside of Natsuki's ear, causing the girl to nearly jump from the sensation. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is _my_ ear..."

"Uh..." Natsuki wasn't able to think of an appropriate reply to that, but it didn't really matter at this point. Shizuru slowly licked her tongue around inside Natsuki's ear, her touch just light enough to tickle and send shivers through Natsuki's body.

"Ooh, and this would be _my_ hair as well!" Shizuru said, her tongue disappearing from Natsuki's ear as she buried herself in her girlfriend's mane of hair. "Ah, so silky and soft... I wish it had occurred to me to get a blanket to remind myself of Natsuki's hair when she wasn't around. I guess it's never too late, though..."

"Yeah," Natsuki said. Her mind was starting to clear up a bit, but she couldn't have that now. She hadn't needed to say anything to get her needs across to Shizuru, and as long as her girlfriend was having fun with it, everything was alright. No reason to let herself be paralyzed when she could enjoy the moment along with Shizuru. "We can go out tomorrow and pick something up if you want," she said as she turned around on the couch so she could face Shizuru. She made an extra bit of effort to flip her hair over her shoulder so that Shizuru would still have access to it.

Shizuru smiled at her lover. "Natsuki is too sweet," she said. She leaned in to give Natsuki a kiss, but she swerved off at the last moment and grabbed a lock of Natsuki's hair to kiss instead. She looked over at her lover, whose lips were still pursed expectantly, and gave a wink. "You know, I used to steal kisses of Natsuki's hair all the time while she was hard at work. I hope Natsuki doesn't mind, but I'm not sorry that I did it. At this point, I only regret that I wasn't bolder back then, as I could have had Natsuki even sooner if I were."

Natsuki let out a chuckle at this. She'd been completely oblivious to that fact, along with every other possible clue that Shizuru had been interested in her, but it didn't surprise her coming from Shizuru. She looked into her love's eyes and said, "It's alright, Shizuru. I'm with you now, and you can play with my hair as much as you wish. Or rather, _your_ hair, if you insist."

"Ara!" Shizuru said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Natsuki. "My Natsuki is truly too sweet. I think she deserves a proper reward. Now what could that be...?" Shizuru struck a thinking pose, though not without a smile gracing her face.

"Take a wild guess," Natsuki said, narrowing her eyes at Shizuru. She could feel her cheeks start to warm up in anticipation, and all the arousal built up from before was still coursing through her. She didn't know if she'd be able to take much more of Shizuru making her wait.

"Hmm... mayonnaise?"

"Better than mayo," Natsuki said. Shizuru was doing this on purpose she knew, being frustrating to build her up, but unfortunately, knowing this didn't help Natsuki avoid its effects. Or perhaps that was fortunate. It was always hard to tell when it came to Shizuru.

"Ara... I think I know," Shizuru said. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, which inexplicably sent a rush of excitement through Natsuki. She had to be going crazy under Shizuru's influence here. "But Natsuki's going to have to earn that. I want to hear her ask me. All Natsuki will ever need to do is ask, and I will be unable to refuse her."

_Damn it. You're evil, woman._ Shizuru must have sensed that Natsuki's frustration was growing a bit too much, so she gave her best puppy-dog eyes to Natsuki. The sight caused Natsuki to immediately melt. She couldn't help it, she was too entranced with Shizuru. With a rapidly growing blush, Natsuki said, "Please, Shizuru... I want to... I want you to... make love to me...."

Natsuki caught only the sound of a brief whimper from Shizuru before her world was consumed with the fact that Shizuru was kissing her. It was incredibly soft and tender. Each stroke of Shizuru's lips across her own sent waves of fire through Natsuki's body. Letting out a whimper of her own, she wrapped her arms around Shizuru and pulled herself onto her lover's lap. Her brief burst of passion was soon subsumed by Shizuru's gentle love, and Natsuki slowly melted under Shizuru's kiss.

When Natsuki was at last too weak to resist, Shizuru withdrew herself from the kiss and Natsuki's embrace. She stood up in front of the couch, keeping a finger to Natsuki's chest so that her girlfriend would remain seated. To Natsuki's surprise, she was able to make out a hint of a blush on Shizuru's cheeks.

"Natsuki deserves an extra-special treat for such a sweet request," Shizuru said. Her voice seemed to vibrate at the perfect frequency to make Natsuki tremble. "But I'll need Natsuki's cooperation for that. If Natsuki will agree to let me be in charge now, I can give her a treat." Natsuki knew Shizuru to well to go without a brief worry that this might be some sort of trick, but Shizuru quickly put those fears to rest. She saw Natsuki's flash of worry and leaned forward to give her girlfriend another kiss. "Don't worry, Natsuki. I would never abuse your trust. I'll simply use it for both of our benefit. Besides, right now I just need you to wait on me a couple minutes while I prepare."

_Hmm, she's probably telling the truth. Of course, I can always get my revenge later if necessary. Though that may be just what she's counting on..._ Natsuki narrowed her eyes at Shizuru just briefly and said, "Alright, but I reserve the right to call it off at any time. And I still plan to get my full revenge on tonight, as I promised, so don't think you need to provoke me any further."

Shizuru let out a chuckle at this. "Ara, thank you, Natsuki. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on doing anything to provoke during this." Shizuru started walking off to Natsuki's bedroom, giving her girlfriend a motion to wait patiently. "While I'm getting ready, why don't you think up a good fantasy for this evening? That should help keep you in the mood. And don't worry, I'll be quite ready to provoke you later on to make sure you're in the mood to properly molest me."

With a final wink, Shizuru vanished into Natsuki's room, just barely missing out on Natsuki's cry of "Shizuru!"

X-X-X

_Perfect. That should let me get appropriate revenge on her. And she should end up enjoying it quite a bit, too... Gah! That woman! It's just not sane to want her to enjoy my revenge. Even so..._ Natsuki rested her head back against her Shizuru blanket, letting out a sigh. She couldn't help but smile any longer. _I might not be able to explain it, but I love it. I guess that's all that matters._

"Natsuki~" Shizuru called out from the bedroom with a lilt to her voice. "Close your eyes, puppy."

Natsuki instinctively obeyed Shizuru's command. She waited patiently, the thought slowly dawning on her how much like Shizuru's puppy she was acting. _If I had a tail, I know it would be wagging right now... Damn it, she was right when she called it "puppy mode." She's always right... Ah well, I guess I couldn't ask for a better master than Shizuru._

As Natsuki was bemoaning her status, she could hear Shizuru approach from the bedroom. Shizuru stopped in front of Natsuki, pushing the table back to make herself some room. "Alright, Natsuki. Sit tight and let me take care of all your needs. You may now open your eyes."

Natsuki opened up her eyes, only to have her breath catch in her throat. Shizuru was wearing the biker leathers she'd bought earlier that week. She was facing away from Natsuki at the moment, allowing her to gaze at how Shizuru's leather pants seemed molded to her ass. Natsuki stared at that perfectly-formed butt with her mouth agape for several long moments, before some motion from above caught her attention.

Natsuki's gaze snapped up to Shizuru's head, which she only now realized was wearing her helmet. As Natsuki watched, Shizuru pulled the helmet off of her head and shook her hair free. Shizuru's chestnut locks cascaded down beautifully as they were freed from the helmet. Shizuru must have worn the helmet for just this effect, and it was well worth it, given how hot Natsuki was starting to feel. It was an effort not to leap from the couch and pounce on her hot biker girlfriend.

It was at this point that her hot girlfriend looked over her shoulder to catch Natsuki's lustful gaze. Watching Natsuki's eyes intently, Shizuru slid her glove-clad hands down her sides. When her hands slipped around to cup her ass, Natsuki had to tear her own eyes away from Shizuru's to gaze at them. Slowly, Shizuru's hands squeezed down, and she threw her arched her back in pleasure. Natsuki nearly jumped off the couch at this, trying to reach out to Shizuru's hands to join her girlfriend in feeling up the beautiful rump, but Shizuru's orders were still barely able to keep her glued down to the couch.

It was too much to take. Natsuki let out a whimper, pleading with Shizuru to show her some mercy before she broke and had to pounce. Fortunately for her, Shizuru was quite in tune with her needs. Hearing Natsuki's need, she turned her body fully around and took a couple steps towards her girlfriend, only barely out of reach now. "Have just a little patience, Natsuki," she said, her voice low and sultry. "You can have free reign to feel whatever you wish in just one minute. Prove to me that I can trust you to hold back until then."

Natsuki let out a small whimper, but she obeyed, forcing herself to sit back in the couch and wait. She was sure that Shizuru knew quite well what she was doing here, forcing Natsuki to hold herself back while she made that as hard as humanly possible. It was a tease – Natsuki knew that for sure – but it was a type Shizuru hadn't used on her before. It was certainly effective, though, as Natsuki was made to torment herself by holding back from touching that body she loved so much which was so close, and now moving so sexily...

Natsuki watched, entranced, as Shizuru's hands moved slowly across her body. Natsuki tried to imagine that they were her own hands, and she could almost feel Shizuru's body as those hands coursed over her sides, across her stomach, and downwards between her legs. Shizuru's right hand stopped in her crotch, gripping herself through the leather. Her middle finger pressed in, and she slid it slowly upwards, letting out a soft moan of pleasure.

Shizuru's hand kept rising after it left her crotch, finally reaching her mouth where Shizuru licked the fingers, as if cleaning them of her juices. Her eyes soon rose from her hand to capture Natsuki's gaze, and she gave her girlfriend a wicked gaze. "Mmm... time enough for that later, I think. But for now..." Shizuru trailer her hands down her chest, allowing them to come to a rest cupping her breasts. Natsuki let out a gasp at this, and she could feel her face filling with a blush as she ached to touch those mounds herself. "I was going to ask what Natsuki thought of this, but I think I have my answer," Shizuru said with a smirk.

Natsuki's blush deepened at Shizuru's words. She was far past the point where there was any use in denying how aroused she was. All she could do was watch, frozen, as Shizuru squeezed her breasts and let out a sigh. Shizuru's eyes rolled back into her head for a moment as she let herself experience this pleasure, and the lids slowly closed.

With a final moan, Shizuru opened her eyes so she could look at Natsuki once more. She took another step towards her girlfriend as she held her hands up in front of her face, loosening up the fingers of first one, then the other glove. She brought her hand to Natsuki's face and slowly dragged her fingers down the girl's cheek, until the index finger landed in Natsuki's open mouth. Natsuki was still too enthralled to figure out what Shizuru intended, so Shizuru had to whisper out to her, "Bite, puppy."

Finally figuring out what Shizuru intended, Natsuki bit down to grab the glove between her teeth. This allowed Shizuru to pull her hand back, sliding it out of the glove. She then took the glove from Natsuki's mouth and tossed it off to the side, before repeating the process with her other hand. She took a moment to use the bared fingers of her right hand to stroke Natsuki's cheek, sending shivers through the girl's body at the light touch.

Natsuki could barely keep herself contained. Her entire body was aching for Shizuru, and it took every ounce of her willpower not to reach out to her. But she'd promised Shizuru she'd obey her for her now, and she trusted her girlfriend to make it worth her while. Even so, Shizuru seemed to be making it as difficult as possible to resist. Perhaps that was just her natural charm, though it was still quite likely she was doing it on purpose to tease Natsuki. She might have even been actively trying to break Natsuki's control, which would mean that she wouldn't be so mad when Natsuki finally snapped. On the other hand, she might have been planning for it, but still planning to "punish" Natsuki for losing control... _No. I have to resist! Resist... sexy... Oh fuck..._

When Shizuru brought her fingers up to the zipper of her top and started playing with it, Natsuki had no choice but to shove her hands under her butt and sit on them if she wished to remain obedient. This prompted Shizuru to break out into laughter. "Natsuki is too cute!" she said. Clearing her throat, she quickly composed herself. "But she's been such a good girl that I'll free her soon, right after I show her one more little thing..."

Natsuki looked up at Shizuru hopefully, and she watched as her girlfriend started to slowly pull the zipper downwards. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as more flesh was revealed, inch by inch. It didn't make sense that she'd be this excited over a small slit of flesh – she'd seen Shizuru completely naked before, multiple times – but she didn't particularly care. She just took it as a good sign that this wasn't going to get old anytime soon.

The best sign, however, was when the zipper passed the halfway point and Natsuki failed to see a bra strap revealed beneath it. Her eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and excitement of this. If Shizuru in leathers was hot, Shizuru naked underneath leathers was the sexiest thing Natsuki could possibly imagine. She didn't even need to take her clothes off at this point; she was already as sexy as she could possibly get.

Shizuru let go of the zipper once it was well below the swell of her breasts – though still high enough to keep her well-covered – and looked up at Natsuki once more. "Time for Round Two, my love," she said as she took a step forward and then climbed onto the couch, straddling Natsuki. She brought a hand up to rest against Natsuki's cheek and said, slowly and with a voice that made Natsuki quiver, "You've been such an obedient puppy, so it's now time for your reward. No more commands while I give it to you. Touch me however you please. Strip me however you please. You can be sure that I will do all the same to you."

Natsuki was able to wait for Shizuru to stop talking, but not a second longer. She pulled her hands out from underneath her and wrapped them around the back of Shizuru's head, pulling her gorgeous girlfriend in for a deep kiss. It was simply impossible for her to get enough of Shizuru, but Natsuki was intent on trying. She pressed her lips firmly against Shizuru's, trying to dominate the kiss at first, before she realized that Shizuru was just as driven as she was.

She might not have been able to beat Shizuru at the moment, but she could certainly match her. As Natsuki was hungrily trying to devour her lover's lips, she pushed her tongue forwards into Shizuru's mouth to try to dig out her girlfriend's tongue. Fortunately, Shizuru was more than willing to provide it for Natsuki, and she proceeded to start playing games with her lover's tongue. Natsuki wrapped her own tongue around Shizuru's, pulling it into her mouth so she could suck on it with her lips, stroked along it with her own tongue, and every other trick she could think of to try and make Shizuru melt.

When Natsuki finally had to pull back to catch her breath, she was pleased to see that she was indeed having an effect on Shizuru. She might not have melted, but she did have an adorable blush gracing her cheeks and a giddy smile splitting her face. Her eyes burned with desire, and just looking into them Natsuki could feel the fire spreading throughout her body. Natsuki knew she had to act quickly and seize the moment, as it could well be her last chance to get in a coherent word, so she brought her hand up to cup Shizuru's chin, held her gaze, and said, "Take me, Shizuru. Fuck me however you want, as long as those leathers stay on."

"Ara, now how could I refuse such a request?" Shizuru said with a small chuckle. She looked ready to devour Natsuki as she turned the two of them so that she could push Natsuki down onto her back on the couch.

Natsuki took the opportunity to finally bring her hands up to Shizuru's chest so she could feel up her breasts through the leather shirt. It was such an amazing feeling. Her girlfriend's breasts were some of the softest things she'd ever felt, but they were currently covered with the solid leather of her shirt, providing quite the contrast. Natsuki also found that she could have quite the fun time squeezing them as much as she wanted – the shirt helped hold her back just enough that she wouldn't accidentally overdo it and hurt Shizuru.

"Mmm, that's nice, but I think Natsuki deserves her turn," Shizuru said, smiling at her lover. "Though I for one would much prefer her out of her clothes first. Much sexier that way, though I may have to look into some fun outfits for her to wear later..." Natsuki gave Shizuru a cautious look at this, though she quickly said, "Fun for Natsuki too, I promise! And if it does embarrass her, I'll work doubly hard to make it fun. But enough distractions, I think..."

Natsuki barely had time to smile before Shizuru was on her. Shizuru pressed her hands against Natsuki's stomach, just under her shirt and pushed them upwards. Natsuki couldn't help but let out a giggle at the feeling of Shizuru's fingers as they passed over her ribs. She could swear that Shizuru was squeezing in a few tickles to get revenge for earlier, but it was subtle enough for her to deny it. Of course, knowing Shizuru, that meant she'd definitely done it on purpose. But Natsuki certainly didn't mind; she even found it quite pleasurable the way Shizuru did it. She was sure she'd end up regretting that sooner or later, but that was a worry for another day.

As soon as Natsuki's shirt was off, Shizuru went to work on Natsuki's bra. She sneaked in a few tickles here as well, but she didn't waste too much time before getting it off so she could have unfettered access to her girlfriend's bare breasts. Natsuki couldn't help but remark on how it got easier to expose herself like this to Shizuru every time. She hadn't felt any embarrassment the last time Shizuru had stripped her, and this time she was even starting to feel pride in how Shizuru seemed to admire her body. She might not have been dressed up for her lover like Shizuru was, but she could always provide her own innate sex appeal. Judging by how Shizuru seemed to be nearly drooling at the sight, it was easily enough.

"Ara, I think Shizuru's found something she likes..." Natsuki said, imitating Shizuru's teasing tone.

The tease earned Natsuki a small blush from Shizuru. She looked up to meet Natsuki's gaze and said, "Indeed." While she held her love's gaze, one of her hands found its way to Natsuki's stomach and started working its way upwards. It quickly found her breast and cupped it, Shizuru's fingers finding their way to Natsuki's nipple and...

"Aie!" Natsuki squeaked out in an embarrassingly girlish tone as Shizuru gave her nipple a firm pinch. Before she could fully realize what was happening, Shizuru's other hand found its way to her other breast and her fingers wrapped around it. Fortunately she didn't pinch it as well, so Natsuki had a chance to demand, "What was that for?"

Shizuru met this demand with an expression Natsuki knew well. It was her "lovingly teasing" expression, and it stirred up the same mix of frustration and affection it always did in Natsuki. "Ara, doesn't Natsuki know? This is a good way to make the nipples extra-sensitive, and a good revenge tease besides. Watch..." Natsuki was afraid that Shizuru was going to pinch her again, but instead she brought her head down so she could give the previously-pinched nipple a soft lick with her tongue.

"Ahh..." Natsuki hated to admit it, but Shizuru was right. It felt like her nipple was on fire as Shizuru licked it. It was a weird mix of pain and pleasure, but the pain wasn't really that bad. It was even good, in a strange way. Kind of like Shizuru's teasing. As she got back into the mood, Natsuki found herself wrapping her arms around Shizuru's back so that her hands could cup the gorgeous leather-clad ass she'd admired earlier. After she took a deep breath, but before her mind could waste time with distracting thoughts, she closed her eyes and said, "The other one too, please...."

No pain was immediately forthcoming, so Natsuki took the chance to open her eyes and peer at Shizuru. She was just in time to see an expression of pleasant surprise on her face shift into a lustful grin, and then Shizuru struck. She surprised Natsuki too, by pinching both nipples at once now. A sharp pain hit them, but Natsuki was prepared this time. She'd placed her hands on Shizuru's ass for a reason: so she could squeeze it in response to the pain. It certainly helped there. She barely minded the pain at all, and it soon dissolved into a sweet, fiery pleasure once Shizuru let go of her nipples and started tending to them with her mouth.

Natsuki breathed deeply as Shizuru's mouth moved between her breasts, keeping both of them alive with pleasure. As all the pain finally faded into pleasure, Shizuru took a chance to take a break with her mouth and started working on both of Natsuki's breasts with her hands. "How does that feel, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked, a trace of concern entering her voice. "I'm really sorry for the pain, but I hope it feels good enough now to make it worth your while."

"Ohhh..." Natsuki wasn't able to get out much of a coherent response to this. She hoped at least her pleasured moan would get the message across to Shizuru. She'd have to try to remember to let Shizuru know later that she wasn't mad or anything. Right now though, all she could think of doing was to lie back and drown in the pleasure that Shizuru was giving her breasts. She didn't know how much the pinching really helped out, but she was beyond caring. _Damn... those hands can work miracles..._

Natsuki's mind fogged over as she fell further into a haze of pleasure. She could dimly hear a series of moans coming out of her mouth, and all she could think was that she hoped Shizuru found it cute. It was the least she could do in return for the girl that could manipulate her breasts so skillfully. Shizuru probably didn't even need to go any further than this; if she kept her motions up for even a couple more minutes, it could easily push Natsuki over the edge.

"Natsuki." Shizuru's whisper pierced through the fog in Natsuki's mind. With a little effort, Natsuki was able to focus on the girl above her so she could listen. "I want to try something, but I'll have to take off my own clothes for it. Is that alright?"

_Naked Shizuru..._ Now there was a tempting thought. Why hadn't she started stripping Shizuru already? _Oh, right... the leathers._ Natsuki was able to gain a little focus so she could look Shizuru over now. She didn't really have a good view of Shizuru's legs now, but damn, that leather shirt definitely looked sexy on her. Maybe she could deal with it unzipped a bit more, or even all the way, if Shizuru wanted to free her own breasts.

Focusing as much as she could, Natsuki held Shizuru's gaze and said through heavy breaths, "Alright, just... can you keep the shirt... unzipped... love?"

Natsuki request was met with a gracious smile, though she soon lost sight of Shizuru's face as her love's hands started moving again and Natsuki's eyes rolled into the back of her head from the pleasure. She was just able to make out Shizuru saying, "For such a cute girl? Of course!"

"Mmm..." Natsuki felt a brief pang of disappointment as Shizuru's hands left her breasts, but she knew it was necessary. Plus, she got to feel Shizuru's hands drifting down her stomach, finding the waistband of her pants. Of course, it figured that Shizuru would still wish to strip her first. Natsuki let out a small chuckle and patted Shizuru's head as she was removing her pants. Shizuru looked up at her quizzically for a moment, but Natsuki just said, "Love you."

Shizuru blushed at this comment. It was nice to know that Natsuki still had that power over her, even when Shizuru was in charge. "Love you too, Natsuki-suki," Shizuru said. She then leaned down to give Natsuki a kiss, right after pulling her panties away and exposing the set of lips she wished to kiss.

"Ah! Shizuru!" Natsuki said as her face filled with a blush of her own. Her victories really tended to be short-lived with Shizuru. She'd have to remember to try to get something a bit longer lasting later that evening. Of course, with Shizuru nuzzling her slit now, making a mental note of anything was something of an effort.

"Mmm... My Suki has such nice lips..." Natsuki's blush deepened as Shizuru worked at "kissing" her lower set of lips.

"Oi!... Uhh... didn't you have something else you wanted to do?" Natsuki asked through the distracting bursts of pleasure that Shizuru was causing her. Though as soon as Shizuru stopped her kisses, Natsuki had to wonder just why she'd asked that. Less than a second without her touch and she was already missing it. Natsuki glared at Shizuru, knowing she must have been quite the sight with her cheeks as red as they were. "Strip. Then don't you dare stop touching me again," she said.

Shizuru tilted her head and grinned at Natsuki. "Ara, anything you say, Natsuki-sama." With this, Shizuru reached a hand up to the zipper of her shirt and pulled it down the rest of the way. She slowly pulled the sides of the shirt apart, revealing more and more of her stomach and chest, until she stopped just before she revealed her nipples and let go of the shirt.

Natsuki growled at Shizuru for this tease, but she stopped short when Shizuru turned around and started to pull down her pants. Her butt was slowly revealed in all its glory, and Natsuki couldn't stop herself from sitting up to bring herself closer to it. Shizuru was within reach of her now, and she had promised to let Natsuki touch her however she wished, so Natsuki decided to take full advantage of that. She reached out her hands to cup the exposed flesh of Shizuru's ass, earning herself a surprised gasp from her lover.

"You told me I could touch as I pleased," Natsuki reminded her. Shizuru remained frozen for a moment, so Natsuki took the chance to slide her hands down so that she could cup all of Shizuru's butt. Once she held it all in her hands, she gave her love a good squeeze, eliciting a sweet sigh and an utterance of "Suki..." from Shizuru.

Shizuru seemed to have gone soft very quickly once Natsuki took the initiative in touching her. _Just how aroused is she?_ Natsuki wondered. Pushing the pants down and out of her way, she decided to find out for herself. She slipped a finger in between Shizuru's cheeks and downwards until she found a source of wetness and earned herself a sharp inhalation of breath from Shizuru. _Soaked. She's loving this as much as I am._

Shizuru gave a shudder as Natsuki pulled her finger out. As soon as she got ahold of herself, she pushed her pants all the way off and turned around. Natsuki looked up at Shizuru, but she was quickly pushed back down to the couch as Shizuru pounced on her and pinned her down. The red in Shizuru's eyes helped make them look they were aflame with her passion now, and the fires threatened to consume Natsuki. When Shizuru came down to capture in a kiss, Natsuki couldn't help but surrender to her.

Natsuki was so enraptured by Shizuru's kiss that she couldn't put up any resistance when Shizuru's hand grabbed her leg and started to pull it upwards, confused as she was by the action. She gave Shizuru a quizzical look once her girlfriend pulled away from their kiss. "I'd thought I'd like to kiss Natsuki," Shizuru said in explanation.

"Er, but weren't we just...?" Natsuki started to ask, though she cut off when Shizuru slipped her leg in under Natsuki and pushed herself up against Natsuki. The sudden contact sent a burst of warmth through Natsuki, and so it took her a second before she could piece together Shizuru's logic. _Okay, she's touching me... her slit, er, her lips... to my lips. A kiss._ "Oh."

"Mmm, good puppy," Shizuru said, smiling down at Natsuki. Now that she was positioned, her hands were free to start trailing up Natsuki's stomach again, giving her gentle tickles the whole way. When her hands finally met Natsuki's breasts, Shizuru seemed to finally lose control of herself. She started moving herself against Natsuki as she groped her love's breasts, quickly driving herself into a frenzy.

Natsuki was torn. The sight of Shizuru going wild so quickly was stunning, and yet the sensations Shizuru was causing in her body were hard to ignore. She wanted to let herself surrender to them, but she also wanted to just watch and absorb the sight of Shizuru turning into an animal before her. Shizuru grinded up and down against Natsuki ferociously, and as enthralling as the sight was, Natsuki just couldn't resist succumbing to the glorious pleasure radiating from her clit and breasts.

All that Natsuki could think about at this point was to at least try and return some pleasure to Shizuru. The sight of her barely-opened leather shirt was tempting her, and Natsuki made an effort to reach her arms in under Shizuru's so she could pull the shirt apart a bit more. Shizuru didn't even seem to notice as Natsuki did this, at least until Natsuki's hands found their way up to her breasts. She let out a gasp at this act, and Natsuki could see a blush had filled her love's face and was starting to work its way down her neck.

Natsuki was sure she was blushing too, probably about ten times as badly as Shizuru. She could feel heat throughout her whole body now. It probably looked bright red to Shizuru. At least she'd probably find that cute or sexy. Natsuki smiled at that thought. A nice burst of warmth rose within her at the thought that she could please Shizuru like this, though it was quickly overwhelmed by a jolt of pleasure as Shizuru's clit passed over hers.

Even if Natsuki was bright red, Shizuru was now starting to turn a glistening red as she worked herself into a sweat. She looked so sexy that Natsuki found herself groping Shizuru's breasts madly and grinding her pelvis against her love's. Shizuru started to let out a soft, adorable moan with every thrust of her hips. She was probably getting close now, and Natsuki could think of nothing other than wanting to push Shizuru over the edge.

"Haa! Shizuru..." Natsuki called out in response to a particularly strong wave of pleasure. She tried to focus through it so she could help out Shizuru, kneading her love's breasts in her hands in time with Shizuru's motions. Soon enough, Shizuru's movements started to become shaky and unstable. It was time for Natsuki to help finish her love off.

Natsuki wrapped an arm around Shizuru so she could hold her steady, and she brought her other hand to squeeze in between herself and Shizuru. Shizuru let out a cry as Natsuki started rubbing her clit as ferociously as she could manage. Her hands weakened in their grasp of Natsuki's breasts, going limp as Shizuru surrendered herself to the pleasure.

Just as Shizuru appeared ready to peak, Natsuki pushed her head up towards her love and kissed her on the neck, gently at first, then kissing hard and nibbling lightly on the flesh of Shizuru's neck. She could hear Shizuru let out a whimper at this, her body weakening into putty in Natsuki's hold. For the final push, Natsuki pushed her hand down and slipped two of her fingers inside Shizuru. She pressed the palm of her hand into Shizuru's clit and squeezed down on it to finally push her love into heaven.

Shizuru tensed up, letting out a strangled cry. After a long moment of frozen bliss, her expression started to slowly soften and her cheeks filled with a blush. Her eyes focused on Natsuki and a smile split across her face. "Mmm... Thank you, puppy." Shizuru leaned forward to give Natsuki a kiss, but she ducked below her girlfriend's lips at the last moment and kissed her neck. She lingered on this spot for a while, kissing and licking it until Natsuki couldn't help but let out a moan. At this, Shizuru gave a final kiss to Natsuki's neck and lifted her face up to say, "Natsuki's turn."

With this, Shizuru's hands went back to work on Natsuki's breasts. The waves of pleasure from this quickly suppressed anything Natsuki might have wanted to say in return, so Shizuru was free to kiss her way down Natsuki's chest and stomach until she found her goal. A single lick of her tongue over Natsuki's clit was all it took to make the girl cry out from the sharp jolt of pleasure. Shizuru didn't let this stop her, though – if anything, it spurred her on to do more, giving Natsuki a series of kisses and licks that resulted in a nearly constant wave of pleasure shooting through Natsuki's body.

Natsuki could feel that all the tension and arousal that Shizuru had built up in her was getting ready to burst out of her, and all she could do was hold on for the ride. She brought her hands to hold onto the back of Shizuru's head, enjoying the feel of her soft locks of hair even as her body was filled with sensations from Shizuru's ministrations. Tension built up within her, as if invisible cords were trying to pull her body apart and collapse her inwards at the same time.

A strong heat started to build up around Natsuki's clit, and she could feel herself getting ready to explode from it. But just as she was preparing herself for it, Shizuru's tongue started to let up. Natsuki let out a cry of abandonment. How could Shizuru be so cruel to tease her right now? But no, Shizuru wasn't letting up completely. Her hands started working on her breasts even harder, building up the tension in Natsuki's upper body until it matched what had built up below.

At last, Shizuru's mouth met Natsuki's clit once more. It was all Natsuki needed. Shizuru had been building her up for so long that she couldn't take anymore, and her entire body exploded in ecstasy. All she could do to handle it was to open her mouth and scream. It was nearly too much for her to take; only Shizuru's presence with her helped make this intensity of sensation manageable. In fact, it made it perfect. It was absolutely as much as she could take. She couldn't ask for any more than to experience this with Shizuru. Even as the high left her, it was replaced by the simple bliss of being with her love.

"I love you too, Natsuki," Shizuru whispered into her ear. Natsuki couldn't even recall if she'd said anything first, or how Shizuru's face had gotten so close to hers, but she murmured back some more words of love just in case. She wrapped her arms around Shizuru, barely noticing that she seemed softer than she should have. When the softness hit her side, she recognized it as her Shizuru blanket, which Shizuru had now wrapped around the two of them.

"Thank you... Zuru..." Natsuki said. As her vision started to clear, she found her way to Shizuru's neck so she could nuzzle into it while she recovered. Shizuru's leather shirt seemed to have disappeared as well, but Natsuki didn't mind. It was better for cuddling this way.

"Ara... I think I should be the one thanking Natsuki for letting me try that out," Shizuru said, giving Natsuki a kiss on the top of her head. "That was quite fun."

"Heh... Think I got the better end of that deal," Natsuki said. "If you promise it'll be like that all the time, I'll do any fantasy you want to try..."

"Ara ara... such a sweet puppy I have!"


End file.
